Arbutus
by Lynda Loyde
Summary: The harder they try, the worse they become. The further they run, the closer they get. When two broken hearts ran away to Cincinnati in hopes of never meeting each other again, they find their paths re-entwined by a strong wind of fate. Will Beatrice be able to convince Tobias that what she said was never what she meant? (Sequel to Acacia) (University, Professor/Student AU)
1. Chapter 1: Tobias's Sorrow

**A/N: Guess what day is it? It's Acacia's one year anniversary! So here is Acacia's sequel!**

 **Acacia was written when I was one year younger. Thus, my writing was awful and I very much prefer to not read what I have written even though I still have to since it is required for me to do so when I want to write its sequel. And since** **it's been a long time since Acacia and that some of you may have forgotten what exactly happened in that story, if any of you would like some summary of some sort or just have any questions in general, just ask me in the review box or private message me :) I even welcome the new readers to contact me for a synopsis because really, my writing in Acacia was bad. But I guess, it was also page turning? And it definitely had some great elements in it. Just badly written...**

 **Thank you so much for staying tuned throughout the year and to all those who has read my other works as well such as Four Chances and For Me You Were The Book, I appreciate you guys so much ^^**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

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"Mate, are you seriously not taking up the offer? Because I'm all up for it if you're not." Zeke questions after a long moment of silence.

Tobias looks up from his black duffel bag, a scowl deeply etched on his face. "I told you Zeke, teaching is not exactly my thing. To teach computer programming to a crowd of dim-witted students is definitely the worst combination for me."

He swings the duffel bag on his shoulder and with a final nod, leaves for the door.

"I'll see you in Chicago?" Zeke asks.

Tobias stops briefly. "I'll think about it." He replies before leaving his best buddy, side-kick ever since first grade in total silence, and total lost. Tobias doesn't notice it, he never does these days. But he has been pushing away everyone away from him, be it friends, acquaintances, or enemies. No one seems to get on the right side of his book. Mention these two words and you'll definitely get killed; love... and Tris.

Zeke sighs as he wonders on what will become of his best friend one day if he keeps on living in this melancholic note. They've just graduated for god's sake. He doesn't even want to attend his convocation where he will be awarded with some achievement-of-excellence-tittle-kind-of-thing.

Bruno Mars's "Just The Way You Are" rings around the room and Zeke's lips quickly curves up into a smile. He grabs his phone from his desk, smiles at the picture of his girlfriend which is illuminating his phone screen and presses the answer button.

"Hey, Shauna!" He greets, his episode with Tobias already forgotten.

Shauna smiles through the phone, hooking her hair behind her ear. "Hey... So umm, I called Caleb last night and he said that he'll be fine with you staying at our house for the week and also won't mind if I stay at yours for the next week."

"The house in Chicago or Cincinnati?"

Shauna frowns, letting go of the strand of hair she was fidgeting. "I thought I've told you that after we found out that my mom left her old house in Cincinnati for us, we've decided to permanently move there and sell the one in Chicago..."

"Oh yes, sorry about that," Zeke replies apologetically.

"So if your mom is fine with it, I guess that plan is on?"

"Sure." Zeke replies, second-checking his drawers to make sure that he has packed everything. "Though I'm positive that my mom won't mind, I'll ask her later just to be sure."

"Right, thanks- umm... I'll meet you at the auditorium then?" Shauna asks, her lower lip sucked between her teeth.

"Sure. I'll be there in a few."

But when Shauna sees Zeke walking towards her, her smile drops into a frown. "Where's Tobias?"

Zeke sighs, for probably the tenth time today. "You know him, decided that he should just wait for his certificate to be mailed to him and catching a cab to drive him to the train station and driving his way home early since he can get some alone time that way."

Shauna snorts. "Spoiled brat he is."

"Watch your mouth," Zeke warns with a grin, placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "That's my best friend you're talking about."

Shauna shakes her head in laughter as they take their assigned seats, waving at Zeke's mother when they spot her at the students' family section.

"Your lovesick best friend," Shauna adds.

CCO

The cranking blue jeep grumbles down the freshly tarred road, echoing even louder as it parks inside the garage. Tobias parks it close to the wall, so close that it is impossible for you to get down from the passenger seat without climbing onto the driver's side and getting down from the left door instead. Johanna fails to understand why, but it seems like her step-son has registered it into his head that that is how you park a car in the garage.

She smiles softly as Christina excitedly runs to her step-brother, immediately cracking a joke to him and grousing about how her days have been so dull without him. But her smile immediately fades away when his never appeared, not even the slightest sign of it.

"Mom." He greets, giving Johanna a loose hug around the waist and a peck on her cheeks before he is pulled into a tight hug by his father. "Hey, dad." He squeaks out.

"Hey, son." Marcus replies, arms still wrapped tightly around Tobias, his duffel bag hanging loosely in his hand. Marcus lets go slowly, a hand still placed lightly on his shoulder. "I'm really proud to see you graduating from Princeton, son. I know that you can do it."

Christina scoffs silently in the background, but Tobias ignores her.

He cracks a weak smile.

"Thanks dad." He replies, keeping his false happy facade on his face for another second before his gaze false onto the blue beanie on Christina's head. In furor, he grabs the beanie with his free hand, brushes off the dirt from the hand-knitted work, fisting it into his hand and marching off into the house. His steps falter when he reaches the landing of the second floor.

Vivid pictures flash through his mind and terrifying voices pierce his ears. Shattered ceramic on the carpeted floor, an ear-splitting scream from the room six feet away from his, the menacing laughter which follows and the scene he had to take in when he looked through the door...

He tears his gaze away from the door which once belonged to _her._

And his door ends up being slammed with a bang.

His seat on the dinner table is never filled that night.

CCO

Waking up with bugs eating up the insides of his stomach, Tobias curses each step he takes to reach the cold kitchen floor. He flicks the switch of the bright LED light on and squints his eyes while he rummages the fridge, hunting for something to give the bugs in his stomach to eat hoping that they will accept the food in favour of freeing his insides.

Deciding that there's nothing in the fridge which he can eat, he grabs the half-filled carton of milk and pours out a mug for himself, downing it immediately as he sits on the high-stool of the kitchen island. He inwardly laughs at himself when he notices the glass container set in the middle of the island top, filled with leftover pasta Johanna probably packed from dinner. Grabbing a metal fork from the cutlery drawer, he immediately digs into the pasta... his favourite dish... the dish which no one seems to be able to learn to cook from Johanna... except, except for that blonde girl... That blonde girl who he had and maybe still does lo-

Tobias slams the fork down with a sharp clatter and rises up from the high stool.

The fried pasta has suddenly lost its appeal.

CCO

Johanna frowns at the partly eaten container of fried pasta on the kitchen island.

 _So Tobias definitely came down to eat, but he didn't finish it?_ That is something he rarely does. What more when he's struck by a gastric attack.

Her frown deepens when she sees the milk-stained mug and the empty carton in the sink. She swears that she has just opened that carton last night, pouring one glass for her before she went to bed. _Why had Tobias chosen to drink the milk instead of eating the pasta?_

Sighing exasperatedly, she shakes her head and grabs a mixing bowl and some flour, deciding that it's wiser for her to prepare the breakfast than mulling over Tobias's weird antics.

 _He'll open up about it. She tells herself. Or even if he doesn't, you'll find out about it from Zeke._

The sound of light footsteps threading softly down the staircase reaches her ears, a moment later, she finds herself facing the boy- the young man who has been perplexing and worrying her brain all year.

Tobias merely nods a greeting to her before grabbing a bowl, a new carton of milk and some cereal from one of the high cabinets.

"I was thinking of making some pancakes for breakfast," Johanna announces, watching Tobias pouring the milk into the ceramic bowl. "Are you sure you don't want some?" she asks.

Tobias shakes his head, eyes still cast down on his cereals. "I'm in a hurry."

"Where are you going?" Johanna asks.

"The library... I'm going to the library." Tobias's eyes blink twice. "I promised someone to meet at the library."

Johanna can tell that he is lying, but she sighs and lets it pass.

After he finishes his breakfast and cleans his dirty bowl and spoon, Tobias decides to help Johanna to set up the table for breakfast before picking up his keys from the key hook by the back door, lingering there for a second too long before he tears his gaze away from the old wooden door.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pack some of these for you to munch on in the car?" Johanna offers, pointing at the stack of cooked pancakes, steaming hot and sweetly inviting Tobias to eat them.

But the scent doesn't just triggers his taste bud or his stomach, the scent wafts its way up to his brain, swimming into the deepest corners, pulling out images of a certain blonde girl as she runs around the kitchen, apron hanging loosely around her neck and tied tightly around her waist, trying to catch up between the frying pancakes and cleaning up the messy kitchen before Marcus or Johanna comes down.

Shoving the images back deeper into his head and gulping down the forming lump in his throat, Tobias shakes his head, a "no" coming out of his mouth in a voice a bit too tight before he walks away from the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2: Beatrice's Lost

**A/N: Thank you so much to all of you guys who is still reading my story! I'm starting to really feel excited to see how this story is going :)**

 **Updates will come once in a week (which would be every Friday or Saturday, depending on when I get the opportunity to update).**

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 **Elle: I'll try my best :)**

 **Manasi: Yeah... It'll take some time before the two of them could reconcile things with each other. And while that, the story would definitely be a little bit deressing. But worry not, the ending would definitely be all out Fourtris because that is the reason why I'm writing this sequel anyway- to reunite them!**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

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"And so I think, I really, really think that University of Cincinnati would be the best choice for us."

Beatrice only lends half her ear to her class-mate's speeches as he blabbers on about which university should they enroll themselves to for their tertiary education.

"So what say you, Bea?"

She lifts her gaze of from the ground to meet her friend's gaze, sighs, shrugs and kept on walking. "I don't know Fernando. I won't mind any of them. They are all universities for me."

Fernando knits his eyebrows together. "But I thought you specifically mentioned that you would prefer to avoid any universities in Chicago and Princeton?"

"Well other than _those_ two, I won't mind. Don't you get it?"

Fernando cringes at her harsh tone and watches in silence as she picks up her speed and walks home alone. It's so frustrating how easy it is for Beatrice to get annoyed of him. He couldn't understand it. He's helping her decide her future, but even that gets her agitated. Being able to engage in a conversation where she actually talks without giving short answers or silent nods is already hard. Being able to joke around with her where she would laugh and joke back or even give the slightest sign of smile instead of a pair of rolled eyes, a scowl and an irritated sigh is even harder. It's hard for him to believe that this girl is even related to the ever smiling brunette girl, let alone be her twin sister.

"Maybe it's true what Shauna have said?" He suggests to himself in a quiet whisper, frowning to himself. "But she'll never tell him why won't she..."

Beatrice pauses when she reaches the gates of the red-bricked house, a group of white and pink-ish, bell shaped flowered bushes lines a pathway leading up to the house, a tall lamp-post stands beside her and a sign saying "Chestnut Street" stands a few feet away. It still feels funny, thinking of how this place is where her mother had grown up in- her mother who she hardly knows. Her mother who willingly sacrificed her own feelings just to makes sure that the people she loves and cares for is safe. With a long intake of breath and a deep sigh, Beatrice turns the key in the lock and opens the door, pausing yet again when she sees a familiar face looking at her with a wide smile.

Shauna quickly runs up to greet her sister who she has missed dearly throughout the months she spends at Princeton. "Hey, how are you doing Bea?"

Beatrice lends a small smile. "Great." She lies. "How are you?"

"Never better!" Shauna replies pulling her hand as she excitedly walks towards the kitchen.

"I'm really sorry that I couldn't make it to your convocation yesterday morning, I was-"

"Hush now." Shauna reassures her. "It's alright, I told you. Caleb couldn't make it since he had to attend the annual interstate health conference and you had to fetch your SAT results, I'm honestly fine with it. In fact, I had my boyfriend to accompany me there- couldn't be happier."

Beatrice's steps falter. "Your boyfriend?" She asks, eyes wide.

Shauna nods.

Beatrice slaps her sister at her shoulder. "You didn't tell me?"

Her sister laughs and Beatrice couldn't help laughing along with the merry sound.

"How could you?" She accuses. "We share everything together!"

"Well we just got into it like last month and well, I thought that I'd come home with a surprise." Shauna lifts her shoulders in a shrug.

"So who is it? A fellow college-mate? Your professor? Ow-"

Shauna hits her sister on the head in disbelief, shaking her head with a wide grin. "No! honestly Beatrice?"

"Sorry, it was just a suggestion..." Beatrice shrugs her shoulders and bowed down apologetically. "So who is it?"

"Well... he _is_ my college- university-mate. But he is also a person who you know."

Beatrice freezes. _No... it can't be..._

"I know him?" she asks to which Shauna nods in reply.

But of course it can be. She saw it coming, the way she looked at him, the way _he_ looked at her. She even told him about it. Of course he was just lying to her to try and get her to trust him.

Beatrice hangs her head low and allows Shauna to drag her to the kitchen in silence.

"Bea, meet my boyfriend, Zeke."

Beatrice swings her head up in surprise, spotting the familiar face smiling at her with his ever so excited and cheeky smile.

"Oh..." She quietly whispers to herself. Of course, Shauna _did_ mention how her heart has fallen for Zeke and not _him_.

She silently reminds herself to knock her head on the wall when she gets alone and stop thinking too much about _him_.

Zeke is quite surprised to see how Tris has changed physically. Her height slightly taller, her arms and legs filled up with well developed muscles- which are not too bulky, but prominently there. Her face is much, much prettier now that it no longer reminds him of a skeleton or a beaten up slave as her bruises have healed and she's been obviously eating more. And her long, golden waves have been chopped off and is now just barely touching her shoulder instead of curling all the way down to her bust. She even pins it back and holds her chin higher, announcing a more confident and not to be messed with personality instead of the scared little girl persona she holds the last time he saw her. Now, he daresay, she looks quite attractive.

"Hey Tri-"

"Beatrice." The blue-eyed girl corrects him. "It's Beatrice."

Zeke cocks an eyebrow in wonderment. "Oh?"

Beatrice curtly nods, her arms still crossed protectively over her chest.

"Then you should call me Ezekiel."

"I won't mind." She announces, face remaining placid. The straight lipped frown reminding him of his best friend back at Chicago.

"So how's things going here in Cincinnati?" He asks, deciding that if her mood is similar to that of Tobias's, then joking around with her is probably synonymous to taking a step closer to Death's doormat.

"Great." She replies, though Zeke knows that it is just probably a lie to hide the words _"like living in hell"_. He's all too familiar with the curt words and standoff-ish attitude.

"Better than living in Chicago?" He asks, holding his lower lips with his forefinger and thumb protectively. _He's just testing the water here..._

He watches how a storm of rainy clouds pass by briefly across her eyes before she blinks it away, hands curled up into a fist as she replies, "Definitely."

Zeke smirks.

 _It seems like Tobias is not the only lovesick puppy..._

CCO

Beatrice didn't feel like having breakfast this morning. Instead, she stays in her room with her curtains drawn shut- the bright laptop screen glaring at her, illuminating her face with various colours.

A knock came from the closed door before Caleb pops his head in. "Can I come in?" He asks.

Beatrice nods at him with a small smile before turning her attention back to the screen.

"University of Cincinnati?" Caleb questions, reading the header of the site Beatrice has switched on.

"Yeah..." Beatrice drawls. "Fernando suggested it to me this evening. I guess it is a good idea since it's close to home..."

"But won't you want to go somewhere more... prestigious or something? I know that you earned high grades."

"Yeah Bea." Shauna interjects, walking casually through the door before settling down on the bed behind Caleb, resting her chin on his shoulder to glance at the screen.

Though she has to accept the fact that she didn't go through all the years when they were living on one dollar meals and living in cheap, back-alley motels before their mother found a job, sometimes, Beatrice couldn't help feeling jealous at how Caleb and Shauna are obviously closer with each other than they are with her.

"Are you really sure that you don't want to study anywhere else? I saw your letter, you earned a scholarship from the University of Chicago... that's the fourth highest ranking university."

Beatrice drops her face in her hands. _Is it so hard for anyone to understand that she doesn't want to go there?_

"I said no, I don't want to." She replies, biting back a harsh remark. "In fact, isn't it a good idea to study somewhere close to home?"

Shauna just sighs in reply and watches in silence as Caleb helps her twin sister apply for enrolment at the university.

Despite the fact that she was closer with her when they were younger, Beatrice couldn't help getting closer and more comfortable with Caleb instead of her twin sister. For the way Caleb acts and talks and looks reminds her exactly of her father who was the shoulder she leaned on to when the rest of her family was supposedly dead.

"So what subject are you going for? Astronomy?" He suggests, typing in her newly created username in the sign in box.

"What about astronomy?" Another voice interrupts.

Beatrice huffs in irritation as Zeke unceremoniously drops down on her bed, pulling Shauna onto his lap and giving her a small kiss on her nose. "You know, I was looking for you everywhere." He whispers to his giggling girlfriend.

"Are we hosting a party in my room?" Beatrice almost shouts in exasperation, silently hoping that they could all get the cue that she prefers to be alone or at least with just Caleb. Unfortunately for her though, Zeke would never understand hidden hints and clues.

"Oh no, I was just looking for my beloved," Zeke speaks. "But since we're all here, we can all talk about... astronomy, was it?"

"Bea's tertiary education." Caleb informs strictly, irritation laced in his voice. "We're talking about Bea's tertiary education and what course should she take."

"Ahh... And you suggested astronomy correct?"

Caleb nods with a sigh.

"Interesting..."

Beatrice silently thank Zeke for keeping not carrying on with his speeches after that. She's sure that she won't have the patience to endure it for another minute.

"I was thinking of more on the arts stream actually." She tells Caleb, clicking on the link which writes "courses in arts stream".

"Why?" Caleb questions to which Beatrice shrugs.

"I'm thinking of majoring, or at least if not possible, minoring in philosophy. And that's listed under the arts stream."

Zeke suddenly hums a tune and sings out a series of number to it as the page loads and all three of the Priors turn to look at him with questioning looks.

"What?" Zeke asks defensively. "The contact number on that announcement, it's got a melodious note in it."

They read the contact number under the announcement which informs the fact that they are looking for a new philosophy lecturer to teach at their main campus.

Caleb slaps his face to the palm of his left hand.

 _Why did he agree to Shauna bringing this laughing jukebox maniac to his house?..._

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 **P/S: MITAM is a tuuuuuuuune !**


	3. Chapter 3: Zeke's Brilliant Plan

**A/N: :)**

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 **divergentmaniac: Thank you so much! ^^ Glad to know that you enjoyed Acacia and I'll try my best with this one :)**

 **Manasi: Exactly.**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

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A loud message alert tone resonates on the walls of the quiet library room. Tobias bows his head in an apology to the librarian who is glaring at him and quickly snatches the phone from his pocket. Clicking the message he has just received, he huffs a breath of annoyance when he reads what Christina has to say.

 _Come home early. We're having a barbecue at the balcony for dinner today! :D_

He drops his head in his hands, tapping his feet agitatedly, contemplating on whether he should stay here and do what's best for his heart's health or go home and do what's best for his parents' feelings- Marcus especially.

 _They're having a dinner on the balcony..._

 _When was the last time he went there?_

Parking his car in the garage, he pulls his beanie lower down his head before snatching the keys out of the ignition keyhole. Stepping out of the car, Tobias can already smell the delicious savoury aroma of Johanna's marinated steak- igniting life into the bugs in his stomach.

He quickly, but steadily, jogs up to the balcony, pausing in front of the door, pulling in a deep breath before turning the door knob.

"Tobias!" Christina cried in excitement, hair up in a high ponytail.

Marcus turns his attention from the roasting steak and potatoes to the splitting image of a young him standing by the doorway of the balcony. He smiles at Tobias before turning his attention back towards the barbecue.

Johanna quickly ushers him to sit on one of the benches by the railings of the balcony, shoving a plate of half-cooked steak with some salad by the sides of the plate into his hands.

"No, let me help dad with the roasting." He says, shaking his head and pushing the plate back into Johanna's hands.

"Oh it's okay, son. I'm fine over here. Retiring from the political world and getting some rest for my old self was one of the best decisions I've made in my life."

Tobias stares dumbfounded at his father. "You've retired?" He asks.

Marcus smiles a sheepish smile and scratches the back of his neck. "Well... For half a year already. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about it earlier, but yeah... I thought that if I put my career away, I'd have more time to spend with you and Christina and hopefully be a better father to the two of you."

"But how about the house and the car? Aren't they the government's asset?"

Marcus laughs, softly shaking his head when Tobias insists on taking the tongs from his hand. "I bought this lot of land a few years ago and they decided to gift the car to me as a token of appreciation for my services during my years with them."

"But I thought that you really love your career and you've been working for it day and night ever since your youth days..."

Marcus places a hand on Tobias's shoulder. "One day son... One day you will find a person who you will love and care for so much that you are willing to give away your dreams for them."

A flash of gratitude flashes through Tobias's eyes before they are flooded with something else... something lost and melancholic... S _orrow_ _maybe?_ Marcus thought. But he doesn't get to mull further about it since he finds himself engulfed in a warm hug.

"Thanks dad." Tobias whispers softly, tightly, quietly.

Marcus pulls himself away from his son, but takes a hold of Tobias's hands. "What's wrong, son?"

Tobias tries to stop the tears from immersing his sight in a glazy gaze, but the impending flood keeps on pushing and pushing that they seep through the carefully built damn he has built eleven months ago. He turns away, leaning on the stone railings of the balcony, gripping it with force- as much force as he is using to fight the tears back.

He can't cry. Not again. Never again. She isn't worth the tears.

She isn't even worth a second of his time.

He shouldn't be thinking about her.

He should have forgotten about her.

He should have never loved her.

He should have never even trusted her.

He hates her.

He hates her so very much.

Then why is he still thinking about her?

Why is it so hard to forget about her?

"I know how a heartbreak feels like." Marcus tells him.

Tobias lets out a shaky breath. Turning to face his father. "How did it feel like?" He questions, his voice low and quiet.

Marcus heaves a sigh. "Painful... Like there would never be another tomorrow. Like _I_ won't make it through another tomorrow."

They stayed silent, eyes gazing on the maze of a garden under them. The only sound emitting where those sizzling crackles of the juices of the steak when they touch the burning coals.

"But Tobias, let me tell you one thing. That person you're thinking about, whoever she is, don't let your emotions cloud your mind. You don't want to regret a wrong decision because of a wrong judgment. _Sometimes_ , they are the ones in total wrong. Other times, it is all _just_ a misunderstanding."

Tobias looks up to his father's eyes. "But if she left a note?" He asks. "If she left a note saying that she could never love me back. If she rejected me with wilted flowers and a clear token of farewell, would that be a misunderstanding?"

"Son... words can deceive, but the heart couldn't- could never. Did you feel her heartbeat when she wrote that note? Was it calm or was it racing? And when the letter was sealed, did her heart felt relieved or was it crying, broken and torn apart?"

Tobias keeps his silence. He doesn't know.

And right now, he's not sure if he _wants_ to know.

CCO

Shauna laughs whole-heartedly at her boyfriend's joke as his dimples dance happily on his cheeks before he pulls out his ringing phone from his pocket. Zeke glances at the screen which flashes Tobias's name before pressing the answer button.

"Yo, mate." Zeke speaks through the phone, earning a slap on the head from Shauna.

"You answer the phone with a hello, not a yo!" She harshly whispers to Zeke who rolls his eyes with a smile.

If there's one decision in life which she would thank herself over and over again for choosing, it'll be choosing to give Zeke a chance to enter her heart and mend all the broken parts in it.

But if there's one thing which she really wishes she can change, it is to change the perceptions Tobias and Beatrice have of each other by knocking their equally stubborn heads on a stone wall and making them realise that the both of them still love each other very much despite what they believe in. It's maddening to see her friend turning into a soul less, walking zombie because of a false rejection. It's even more annoying to see her twin sister pushing herself further and further away from what her heart really desires just because of her foolish and petty insecurities.

"Hey umm..." Tobias starts. "Did you take up that offer from the University of Chicago?"

Zeke frowns. "Err... yes. I did... You did mentioned that you don't want it... right?"

"Umm... yeah, but I changed my mind, I..." Tobias lets out a shaky breath. "couldn't stand living here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah..."

Zeke drums his fingers on the wooden armrest of the sofa.

"Umm, you know what? Never mind about it... I'll think of something." He says before adding, "Send my regards to Shauna."

 _And Tris too?_ Zeke thinks of tease-asking, but he immediately decides against it when he remembers the last time he kissed Shauna with a split lip... it hurt... a lot...

"Sure will. Send my regards to your parents." He decides on replying before Tobias said a farewell and ends the call.

Zeke wipes his sweaty palm across his face before turning to look at the questioning pair of green eyes staring at him.

"Tobias has suddenly decided that he wants the job at the University of Chicago." He explains, knowing exactly what it is which Shauna is asking about without her mouth uttering the question. If there's one thing which he can change about Shauna, he'd wish to change that nosy attitude of hers. But alas, Shauna won't be Shauna if she isn't so curious.

Shauna cocks an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Something about not being able to stand living in that house of his." Zeke shrugs.

Shauna seems to give it a long thought. "Did he have a fight with Christina?"

Zeke shakes his head. "Not that I know of. And as far as I know him, fights with Christina is never that personal- personal enough to make him uncomfortable living under the same roof with her."

Shauna drops her head in one of her hands, shaking it with a sigh. "He misses her." She whispers.

"He misses who? Christina? Aren't they living under the same roof?"

"Bea. He misses Bea."

Zeke's eyebrows knit together. "But what does the house has anything to do with Bea?"

Shauna looks pointedly at Zeke, silently wishing to grab the hard-covered book in front of her and knocking it onto Zeke's head for his total obliviousness. "That was where they met? And where they spent their sweet moments together..."

Zeke's eyes morph from confused, to enlightenment, to amusement and to squeezed shut when he roars into fits of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Peeps in a small voice from the doorway of the living room.

Zeke cannot stop himself from laughing even harder when she asks the question.

Now Shauna really feels like hitting his head with the book.

"Nothing, Bea." Shauna reassures her twin sister, glaring at her boyfriend, telling him to keep quiet. "Zeke is just being his ridiculous self."

Beatrice cocks an eyebrow. "Oh?" She replies, looking at the man beside Shauna who she swears could set the ground into an earthquake with his body which is shaking with silent laughter. "Why?" She asks, still looking questioningly at the _laughing jukebox maniac_ as Caleb has labelled him.

"I don't know, Bea. He thinks that when a person has a broken heart, it is nothing but a laughing matter."

The brow of Beatrice creases. "Who has a broken heart?"

Shauna hesitates, drawling a long "umm..." and chewing the insides of the cheeks before she finally lays it out in a slow, low and quiet voice.

But it was loud and clear enough to reach her sister's ears.

The three-syllables word which they have always avoided for the past eleven years.

The name which has always strike Beatrice the hardest- like a sharp knife piercing through her chest, caving her heart out and leaving the bare hole empty.

Caleb and Shauna have seen it happening. How her eyes would glaze over as if a rain storm is passing by before it turns blank- living as if without a soul for a week or two. Answers only coming in the form of curt words or none at all.

"Oh..." She replies, short and simple but the end of her statement is still hanging in the air.

 _Oh... His heart is broken._

 _Oh... His heart is broken._

 _Oh... Did she break his heart?_

 _Is that the reason why he never came to Cincinnati? When the Eatons come to visit her family during the holidays and he was never there with them?_

 _Was it because she broke his heart so painfully that he couldn't bear to see her again._

Beatrice fights back a sob.

 _He must hate me now... but..._

 _But no..._

No it couldn't be. He didn't love her. He never loved her.

He probably have just realised that he had been wasting his time with her.

 _But then, why is his dauntless heart broken?... Who broke his beautiful heart?..._

And just like her heartstrings, the _oh..._ is still hanging around in her head. Clinging on each corner of her brain, leaving a trace of it's piercing graze on each drop of blood the tip of the word has touched.

He is broken hearted...

The two of them jump in their seats when Zeke bursts into another fit of laughter followed by a series of loud curses as Shauna starts hitting his head with a very hard book repeatedly until he promises that he'll stop laughing before he runs out of the room since he _knows_ that he won't be able to keep that promise. It has always been so amusing for Zeke, watching these two lovebirds trying to hold back their feelings from each other. Ever since the first time they met, they've always been denying it, making it sound as if it's the most absurd idea in the whole world...

But he knows that for them it is not...

A small smirk creeps its way onto Zeke's lips.

And _now_ he is going to give them a treat by throwing them into one situation where they would be forced to meet each other for more than once a week for long, promising hours on each of those days.

He brings out his cell phone and dials the required number which he has memorised- thanks to its melodious note and drums his fingers on a nearby wall in anticipation while he waits for the other end to pick up.

"Good evening, University of Cincinnati, how may I help you?"

Zeke clears his throat. "I understand that you're looking for a new lecturer to teach philosophy at your university?"

The clerk on the other end pauses briefly before humming a yes.

"A friend of mine and I, we both graduated from Princeton last week and he took a minor in philosophy. I'm calling on behalf of him. He'd like to apply for the job."


	4. Chapter 4: Wind of Fate

**A/N: Thank you so much to all of my dear readers. It's a great joy to write and an even greater joy to share my story to the world. I very much appreciate feed-backs whether it is in the form of praises or criticism or just an ordinary feedback for that is how I learn how to write better and in which area should I improvise :)**

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 **divergentmaniac: Firstly, you're welcome, but really, thank _you_ for reading my story. It's always great to know that someone appreciate's my work :) **

**Yeah, amongst the things which drove me to writing this series was my frustration when I couldn't find any Divergent fan-fictions in which they portray a more in-depth relationship between Marcus and Tobias. I mean, there's got to be a reason as to why Marcus turns the way he is. And if the conditions were different, his character may have been different too, right? And actually see a lot of similarities between Marcus and Tobias, especially their tendencies to go abusive. They're both kind of very obsessive and selfish when it comes to love. It's just that maybe Marcus never felt what exactly it was to be loved and to love another while Tobias did? You never know... Human behaviour is a very fascinating matter.**

 **And I'm continuing it in third POV since I'm pretty sure that I can't write a good Tobias's first point of view and I think this sequel is more interesting to be told when you know what is going on in the minds of both of them. And it makes the story less depressing but even more heart breaking too! For you know how both of them are yearning for each other and haven't yet moved on, and at the same time heart breaking for how they are treating each other out of pride and stubbornness- and fear of loving another person in Tris's place.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

 _A couple of weeks later..._

 _As Summer is ending and the Autumn breeze starts to sweep in..._

Tobias curses again as his ears are still not cooperating with him. He knew that flying is a bad idea. He could've just taken that train! But of course, Zeke just had to come and destroy his life.

Applying for a job he never asked for, booking a flight he never payed for. And now, now he ends up at some state where he doesn't even has a clue of how should he act when this... this insolent taxi driver starts talking about how the Cincinnati Bengals defeated his beloved Chicago Bears to an embarrassing 24-16. He's a Chicagoan for goodness' sake! He can't waver his allegiance to his hometown football team just because of some job Zeke has signed him up to. But he can't exactly support the Bears in front of this taxi driver seeing how fanatic and loyal he is to his football team. The taxi driver will definitely drop him off at the next stop and he'd have to hunt for another taxi if he does that.

After much thought, Tobias decides that it is best for him to just stay quiet through his clenched jaw and fidgeting fingers if he wants to reach the bus station which will lead him to the university in time.

CCO

"Are you sure about this Bea?" Caleb asks, watching his little sister carefully placing her laptop in her backpack followed by it's charger and some book- a novel about some secret love letter he always notices her spending her night-time with.

Beatrice laughs at her brother. "Caleb, I've told you that Fernando's brother is going to give us a ride to the bus station. Don't worry about it."

"I know... It's just..."

Caleb sighs and shakes his head, deciding to help his sister to lift the black trunk suit.

"Just?" Beatrice queries.

"Just... It feels funny... Seeing you leaving for the university when... when in my head you are still that naughty little rascal up to some mischief with Shauna. In my head, you're still Helen and not this reformed Beatrice." _Or Tris..._ he thought to himself.

Beatrice smiles at her brother, taking his free hand into hers and lacing it with her small fingers. "You know Caleb, it feels surreal for me to. Even more in fact. In my head, you're frozen at the age of thirteen... and you're supposed to be dead."

Caleb laughs. "Yeah... _that_ must be very surreal. But it still feels like my responsibility to send you to the university. If possible, I want to personally drive you all the way to the gateway of the university and lead you to your dorm."

"Well if you _do_ that Caleb, I definitely won't be happy. I _can_ find my way through that university by myself and I _do_ want to have a taste of my own independence."

Caleb laughs at his sister's words again as he leads her towards the honking black Cadillac at their front gate.

"Promise me to be safe Bea."

Beatrice smiles at her brother- but he can see the mischievous glint in her eyes.

He misses that glint so much.

"I can't promise to be safe... but I'll try."

Caleb laughs once more, shaking his head while giving her one last hug. "As long as you come back home for the Winter holidays in one piece, I guess I'll be fine."

CCO

Tobias grunts in annoyance as he rummages his tattered duffel bag, still failing to find his bus ticket which would take him straight to the Clifton Avenue, the nearest bus stop to the university without any transits.

The bus conductor looks apologetically at him, contemplating on whether he wants to break the big news that he will have to miss this bus or just wait for a few more minutes until this young lad can find his bus ticket.

An angry and impatient stare from the bus driver makes him think otherwise.

"Sir..." he slowly speaks. "We're very, very sorry that you can't find your ticket, but we really need to get moving... You can buy a new one which would take you to-"

"The East Fifth Street where I can walk to the Government Square and catch another bus to Clifton Avenue, I know that!" Tobias shouts exasperatedly, slamming his fist on the already thread bared bag before fisting his hair in agony. "I just fear that I couldn't make it in time if I take that route."

The bus conductor again look at him with pity lathered all over his eyes before patting his shoulder as a sign of support and getting onto the old bus with BEARCATS written all over it.

Tobias slumps down on the dusty pavement and silently hopes that there is a good reason on why he misses that bus.

…other than the fact that he has to be harshly reminded that he would never have Chicagoan pals to watch football with him for a whole year until he gets back to Chicago and make sure that Zeke gets what he deserves for dumping him in this _Bearcats_ hell hole.

What even is a bearcat anyway? A bear-like cat?

CCO

"Government Square, here we are!" Fernando's brother cheers excitedly with him and now hunts for the exact area they should drive to to get to the bus stop.

Beatrice sinks her earphones deeper in her ear canals as she tries to drown their loud voices.

 _Just why didn't she accept Caleb's offer to drive her to the bus stop instead of riding along with these adolescent sons of the mayor of Cincinnati? Aren't the mayor's son supposed to be much more proper and intellectual? And more collected and reserved? Sure, maybe a little bit emotional and sensitive at heart, but... more like a mayor's son?_

She sighs in relief and quickly jumps down from the car just as the car joins the queue of parked vehicles by the road-side as tens of other students line up their way to get into the next bus.

"Your friend is a rude one." Fernando's brother comments to him, jerking his head towards Beatrice's direction.

Fernando bites his lip and scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah... she can be like that sometimes... I think she prefers quiet midnight driving or just any quiet company. She gets easily irritated by our discussions... I think."

His brother snorts as he unbuckles his seat-belt and swings his door open. "Then she's definitely not the girl for you. You need someone far more entertaining than that obnoxious one."

A small frown starts to creep on Fernando's cheeks before he recomposes himself and mirrors his brother's previous actions, though misstepping on the gravelled road and ending up with his knees scraped.

"Are you okay?" Beatrice asks with concern, lending a hand to help him up before letting go off it almost immediately when she sees the look in Fernando's brown eyes.

Fernando clears his throat and brushes off the blackish dirt on his khaki pants, frowning at it before nodding to Beatrice- not exactly meeting her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks anyway."

Beatrice nods curtly before she lifts up the handle of her trunk suit and wheels it towards the bus station.

Fernando tails along quietly.

His brother frowns at the two teenagers walking away from him, shakes his head and gets into his car. _He needs to have a word with his brother_. He reminds himself, driving off to work.

CCO

"All passengers boarding shuttle 416, please proceed to gate 7, thank you."

"That's our shuttle!" Fernando panics as he runs towards the said gate with Beatrice's right hand held fast in his left one.

If they miss that bus, they won't be able to get to their university in time and would be dearly punished. Then his dad would be so displeased with him getting detention on the first day...

"Calm down, Fernando!" Beatrice scolds, struggling to keep up with his sprints, bus ticket in her left hand, pulling the old trunk suit with it at the same time and trying to keep her scarf from falling down from it's tangle around her neck. "The bus won't depart until another fifteen minutes!"

"I know, but what if-"

A strong Autumn's wind gushes against them, sweeping Beatrice's hand-knitted blue scarf to the ground and her ticket far away.

"You and your stupid what ifs, let go of my hand!" She snaps, pulling her hand out of his vice grip, picking up the scarf and running towards the direction of the run-away ticket.

CCO

"All passengers boarding shuttle 416, please proceed to gate 7, thank you."

Tobias scoffs as he watches the wave of excited and panicky teenagers running towards gate 7. _Bearcats teenagers... Adolescent people who doesn't even know that that shuttle won't leave them until fifteen minutes after boarding time..._

He swings his trunk suit over his shoulder and soundlessly walk towards gate 7, preferring to not get himself crowded in that pack of suffocating human beings.

A strong gush of Autumn's wind gushes against him and he pulls his beanie lower down to his eyebrows. At the same time however, a small piece of white paper glides down on his path. He quickly picks it up, immediately realising that it is a bus ticket, which probably belongs to one of those silly Bearcats.

 _That's why kids, that is why rushing is never a good idea._

But his graceful steps halt when his heart misses a beat before thumping loudly in his head as he flips the bus ticket in his hand...

 _Prior Helen Beatrice..._

 _No..._

 _No this couldn't be._

 _His eyes must be playing tricks on him. Or he must have remembered her name wrong._

 _She... She's still in Chicago with her brother or maybe up in that Buffalo Mountain she grew up at..._

 _She can't be here. What would she be doing here?_

"Sir, I'm afraid that that is my ticket..." A small voice pronounces.

 _That_ small voice...

He looks up from the ticket and down to the pair of greyish blue eyes which have imprinted itself on his heart.

He sees how her breath hitches in her bare throat and her lovely eyes opens wide. How her lips gasp his name in a quiet whisper. How her eyes starts to glaze with drops of tears like how the window is wet with dew drops the morning after a rainy night.

"Sir, I'm afraid that that's her ticket." Announces a black haired lad as he pulls the ticket from his hand and runs towards the gate 7 in a hefty rush, pulling along the blonde haired girl with him.

Black boots glued to the ground, hand suspended in the air, eyes still trained on gate 7- he finds the pair of eyes haunting his mind, fishing out that name he has long buried away in his mind.

 _No. It can't be Tris._

He turns away.

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 **P/S: Do you know that I am on Tumblr?**


	5. Chapter 5: Trying to Not Believe

**A/N: Nothing much is happening in this chapter since it is more of a filler chapter. And I must admit, there's nothing too interesting going on with the whole story yet. I think that it is because I'm still in the introductory phase of the story. So to make things more... interesting, I think I may be posting two chapters per week. Though I have to speed up my writing first because I really do not want to publish something and end up wishing that I can pull it back because I have some new ideas or any of those sorts.**

 **Oh, and if anyone spy any grammar and/or spelling mistakes, please don't be shy to point them out!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

 _It can't be him. It can't be him. It can't be him._

The words repeated itself in her head over and over again. Like a mantra, continuously humming and buzzing in her head, but she whispers it like a chant, attempting to calm herself down.

Because she saw him... She saw him stepping onto the bus a few seconds before the bus departed. She saw how he kept his gaze on his black boots, never lifting his head up until he was out of her sight as he walked further into the bus, taking his seat some rows behind her.

Then when a ringing tone goes off and the owner of the phone answers it with a short "Eaton." in that all too familiar voice- that voice which used to be her source of inspiration and her source of comfort, Beatrice feels her head getting a little flighty as the blood drains down from her face. She clams the palms of her hands on her ears, trying to block his voice from penetrating her mind.

Her mantra has changed.

 _Take me away from him. Take me away from him. Take me away from him._

Her brown boots clad feet lands harshly on the mud puddle just as the bus conductor opens the door, splashing the wet soil onto her black skinny jeans, and unknowingly, to Fernando's bleached white ones as he tails her in a hurry.

"Watch it..." He warns, scowling at her and trying his best in wiping the mud away. "You're supposed to walk slowly in this muddy place, leaping down onto it or running in it is not exactly an option. You might not mind getting your worn-out boots dirty but I definitely mind getting mine all grimy."

But as he looks up, she was already a few feet in front of him, still walking in such a hustle.

He really couldn't understand her. Yes, he knows how she doesn't talk that much unless if she's with her brother. And sometimes act as if she's not exactly living. But this, right now, and all throughout the bus ride, she has been standing on the balls of her feet and sitting at the very edge of her seat- ready to break into a sprint at any second. Her face is so white that he's sure Snow White looks tanner.

It's like she's seen a ghost from her past which is haunting her heart so much.

CCO

Tobias exhales a breath of relief as he gets down from the crammed bus. Although he really wanted to jump down from the bus just as it halts, Tobias would prefer to avoid bumping into that girl with a blue scarf.

 _The exact same shade of blue as his beanie..._

He hopes with all his life that that would be the last of her. That she won't be appearing in his path for one more time. That she'd just disappear here at Clifton Avenue to never pop up in his life ever again. For he is not sure if he will be able to stand his feelings if he has to live seeing her every day over again without being able to touch her or love her or hold her so tight and close to him.

Because despite the anger he feels towards her. The hatred he feels towards her. And though he wants to deny it, deep down, he knows that he still loves her.

And it's only her who he will _ever_ love...

CCO

"So which residence hall are you staying at?" Fernando asks Beatrice as he finally manages to catch up with her as she got lost along the way and he offered to help her out.

Noticing the fact that he has a map of the university which he probably picked up from some stand nearby the entrance and some pen to mark out his ways, jotting down some observations he noticed here and there- accepting his help seems like the best choice.

"Siddall Hall," Beatrice replies, fingers playing with the loose straps of her backpack, eyes curiously taking in the sight before her.

She has to admit, it is quite intimidating, being this free and unbounded by rules. But at the same time, the fear she feels fuels up a rush of thrill and pumps up her adrenaline.

 _She's glad that Caleb didn't insist on leading her all the way to her room._

"Beatrice, were you even listening to me?"

She turns to her left and give an apologetic nod to him, shaking her head a no.

Fernando sighs. _Did he even expect her to say yes?_

"Well, we're here," He says, pointing towards a tall building.

Fernando lets out a low whistle as he eyes the glass windows which practically wall up the whole building. "Must be pretty hot during the summers."

"That's why the summer holidays exist." Beatrice retorts as she walks up towards the building, leaving Fernando alone on the street.

She didn't even say a thank you.

Your friend is a rude one. His brother's remark repeats itself in his mind.

 _Then she's definitely not the girl for you. You need someone far more entertaining than that obnoxious one._

Beatrice turns around with a questioning glance. "Aren't you coming along?"

He shakes his head. "I told you that I'm staying at Stratford Heights."

"Oh..." She remembers reading about the residence hall with her brother when they were hunting for the cheapest deals. Stratford Heights is one of the most expensive.

But of course, Fernando _is_ the son of Mr. Mayor isn't he?

"See you tonight for dinner then?" Fernando asks her.

She nods once, then leaves for the building.

CCO

"And I guess that is all which you'd need to know. But if there's anything which you are in doubt about, don't be afraid to ask."

Tobias nods his head and shakes his hands with the dean. Thanking her for accepting his application. He picks up his duffel bag and prepares to leave the room when the dean stops him.

"Do you know where the lecturer's quarters are?" She asks to which Tobias shakes his head with a frown.

"But I think I can find my way around-"

"Nonsense." She scolds, calling out for a man who is knocking at her door to come in. "This is Edward Mayhem. He'll be your colleague and I hope that he will also help you out throughout the year."

Tobias eyes the bulky dude as he stands in a soldier position. Shoulders broad, blonde hair well trimmed- he should probably be working in the army force instead of some university in the city. In fact, with a long scar stretching across his face and one blind eye, Tobias would have definitely thought that he is a soldier if they were to meet in the streets.

 _Mayhem..._ Tobias muses to himself. _He fits the name well._

When Edward attempts to shake his hands with his new work mate, he can tell that this Eaton guy is not at all a person who you'd call pleasant.

Eaton reminds himself of the man he was several years ago.

"Well, here we are Eaton." Edward tells him as they reach a brown door of a tall apartment.

Tobias has to repeatedly tell himself to not look down over the balcony.

"Used to belong to the previous philosophy professor and his wife. Now it's all yours."

He curtly nods at Edward, bringing out his keys from his pockets and entering the dark room, shutting the door without another word.

 _Rude and melancholic..._ Edward notes with a smirk. _Just like him a few years back._

Flicking the light switch of his room on, he finds himself in a small living room, probably the size of his bedroom and a kitchenette at one corner. Tobias walks towards the only door other than the one which he has just came in from and flicks another light switch on, illuminating a small and cozy bedroom in a warm white colour. The bed is queen sized instead of a single sized one and the walls of the room are decorated with some English wallpaper.

Tobias scoffs at the first word which comes to his mind.

 _Romantic._

 _He definitely has to paint up the walls to a more bearable colour some time soon._

But right now, right now he really needs some sleep for he has been travelling through bus, taxi, train and plane for the last couple of hours all the way from his home to here and he feels as if his feet might come off anytime soon.

But his rest doesn't turn out to be as peaceful as he wishes it to be.

For he can't seem to take away a pair of piercing blue eyes from his mind.

CCO

"Just where is that key?" Beatrice grumbles, fishing in her bag, messing up the neatly arranged books in it.

"Excuse me..."

Beatrice turns around to find a brunette just a few inches taller than herself.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, but is this your room?"

Beatrice squints her eyes in suspicion before deciding that this girl just couldn't mean any harm to her. She nods twice.

The brunette smiles at her, rosy cheeks denting with dimples. "We're room mates then. I'm Myra."

"Beatrice." She introduces, nodding once and offering a small smile to reply Myra's who helped her unlock the door.

Myra watches with concern as Beatrice runs for the bed to pour the contents of her bag out just as she manages to open the door and get the lights on. All that she can see spilling out of her room mate's bag are books and books and even more books.

One of them falls to the floor with a thud.

Beatrice bends down to pick it up, her hand frozen in mid-air as her eyes reads the tittle.

 _The Secret Love Letter._

Beatrice has been reading the book during her nights when she couldn't fall asleep. Whenever her nightmares returned with a vengeance and her trusty inhaler lay close to her hand... this has been the book which distracts her from all her worries.

But now?

Now, it seems to trigger a switch at the back of her mind as images of a certain pair of blue eyes staring down at her with shock and longing swim their way to her eyes.

A few hours later, Myra has managed to quietly unpack her clothes into the closet and study books on her desk, hoping to not disturb her room mate in the process. Her room mate who still has her book sprawled all over her bed and is now curled up into a ball at the edge of her bed.

She checks her watch, seeing that it is time for dinner, pats Beatrice on her shoulder. "It's six in the evening... You might want to get something to eat at the cafeteria across the street? I've been told that they give away free meals for new students on the first day."

Beatrice shakes her head.

"You're sure you don't want me to grab anything for you?"

Beatrice looks up and give Myra a small smile. "No, it's okay." She sniffs. "I'll be fine."

Myra nods, though unconvinced. And her suspicions are right as Beatrice still has her hands clammed tightly on her ears, her body shaking when she returns from the cafeteria. Myra places a styrofoam of fried rice she packed from dinner on Beatrice's side table drawer before climbing into her own bed.


	6. Chapter 6: Avoiding Fate and Truth

**A/N: Very sorry that I didn't manage to keep up with my two chapters per week promise. I'll try to keep it up this week :)**

 **To all Cincinnatians (if there are any), I apologise if you feel offended by Tobias's annoyance by the 'Bearcats'. But I guess he isn't so stable in the head these days... Love is a serious mental disease...**

 **Also, I have never ever been to the University of Cincinnati and could only use the very few sources on the internet which writes about said university. So probably half or three-quarters of the imagery came from my imaginations... And there will be a garden and a library which you will read in the near future, and those two also may not exist in the real university.**

 **So... anyway... It's Beatrice's first Philosophy lecture today... with her philosophy professor... whose name is... Professor... Eaton...**

* * *

 **Manasi: Here comes the one-on-one confrontation ;)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

Tobias watches as the first few students trickle into the lecture hall. _He must remember to give these kids extra marks for being punctual_. He fidgets with the ends of the black inked marker and stares down at his book. _The Laws of Thought_ he reads over and over again as he now taps the marker on his brown desk.

 _How is he supposed to teach philosophy to these kids? He didn't even ace his philosophy test- he only earned a C for it. How did the university even accept_ _his application_ \- he will never understand. He is really starting to regret his decision of not accepting that offer from the university of Chicago.

When the bell rings, cueing him to begin his class, he rises up from his chair, pops the cap from his marker and walks towards the white-board jotting down a quote in large block letters.

Slowly turning away from the white-board, for the first time, he takes in the sight of all of his students- some eagerly, some indifferently and even some who are holding their heads in a tight hold, probably trying to get that marching band out of their heads.

"Those first-week parties are frowned upon for some reasons." He announces, pointedly looking at one particular student who seems like he may turn green any second.

Hitting the whiteboard with his wooden pointer twice, he underlines the sentence he just wrote on the white-board. "For this feeling of wonder shows that you are a philosopher, since wonder is the only beginning of philosophy... who said this quote?"

The lecture hall buzzes in silence, each and every one of them glancing at the other, hoping that someone would take the honour of answering the question. He shakes his head in disbelieve.

"Plato. Plato had said this quote. And if any of you would love to explain to me what feeling of wonder is he referring to, I'd consider giving an extra mark for your assignment."

But he waits, and he waits, and he scans the room... None of them makes an attempt to rise up and speak. He grunts in frustration and slams his pointer onto the white board. "If none of you can even feel this feeling of wonder than you might as well leave the room since you'll never be able to understand anything you are about to learn!"

The metal door to his classroom swings open in a creak and a small blonde figure rushes in, keeping her head down, apparently trying to appear invisible in hopes of escaping from getting a detention on the first day.

"You." Tobias pronounces, voice loud and clear. Effectively halting her in her steps.

"Do you really think that you could get away from being late on your first class without any form of excuses?"

"I... I got lost." She pipes, in a small quiet voice. A voice which seems to nag something at the back of his mind but he doesn't bother to mull about.

He scoffs at her words. "Sounds like a typical excuse coming from someone who woke up late because she spent her night getting wasted."

"I'm sorry professor, though I didn't participate in the party last night, I _did_ wake up late and I _did_ get lost. But I promise that I'll try to-"

"Couldn't you at least look at me while you apologise?"

She stays silent.

Tobias sighs in irritation as the small figure still has her back to him. He rubs his thumb and his forefinger on his temples, trying his best to keep his patience in check. He can't lose his job on the first day.

"Fine then." He says. "I'll let you go this time, but you must answer my question and look at me while you do that." Tobias moves away from his table and steps towards the girl, his pace slow and measured, his arms crossed over his chest.

 _She smells like apples and vanilla._.. _and something... something spicy._

"Why are you taking philosophy?" He asks, his voice still calm despite the anger he _should_ be feeling over her rude attitude.

"I..." Her words got themselves tangled in her tongue as her brain couldn't respond to her body appropriately. That... that strong smell which has always overwhelmed her thoughts just keeps getting stronger and stronger, creeping its way down to her heart... twisting it in pain and longing.

"You?" The voice, firm and strong- just as she remembers how his hold was. Firm and strong- never meant to be broken apart until she ran away out of fear when he held on to her too tight.

She pulls in a deep breath when she feels him stepping closer, his warmth slowly radiating itself onto her cold backside.

 _Answer that question. She tells herself. Just answer that question and you can get into your seat, far away from him._

"I... I find philosophy an interesting subject because... because of that, those questions which have always popped into my head they..."

"Turn. Around."

With a deep breath in, she turns slowly. First her feet, then her torso, then her head which she keeps down- curtaining her face with her short blonde hair.

But something, Tobias wonders, something about her is... is...

He takes a step back.

 _No... no this just can't be. What is she doing in his classroom? What is she even doing in this university?_

But she did ride that bus and went down at the same stop as he did...

Clifton Avenue.

The closest bus stop to this university.

"There's a wondrous feeling in learning philosophy..." She speaks quietly. "And I crave for that feeling."

When she slowly looks up, he silently hopes that her eyes won't turn out to be blue.

Though he knows that his hopes are all for naught when he again, takes in that swift scent of vanilla which has always reminded him of everything sweet and tasty- like pancakes and honey and scones.

"An article about this quote. That's your assignment for today and I want it to be passed in by our next class and that's on Wednesday before we proceed with our lessons." He announces before leaving the class room quicker than his students did.

"But the class isn't supposed to be over yet." He hears a female voice fret.

"All the better for me." Another comments. "I hate that guy. Who does he thinks he is?"

Tobias doesn't know who he is. All that he knows is that he really wants to kill Zeke.

For because of him, _she_ is his **student**.

CCO

Myra walks in her room to find Beatrice sitting crossed leg on her bed, head bent down as she writes furiously on a piece of lined paper. A few balls of what seems like crumpled up failed writings lay around in front of her.

"Hey..." She starts, catching Beatrice's attention when she snaps her head up to look at her.

"I'm sorry that I didn't wake you up this morning. I wanted to. But I knew that you slept late and I was worried if you might fall sick or something. In fact, I didn't know that our professor would be such a jerk despite this being our first day."

 _"That," He taps her nose again. "is Tobias number Four."_

Beatrice shakes the memory from her face though a small bittersweet smile still finds its way to her lips. "It's fine. Don't fret about it." she brushes off- refusing to think too much about her professor for she doesn't want to get into a shameful breakdown like yesterday and instead gets back to writing the article _that professor_ requested for.

Myra looks around the room. Appreciating the fact that her room mate hasn't messed it up and seems like the neat type considering the fact that her books are nicely arranged on her bookshelf, her desk well organised and her bed well made- she didn't even leave any hair in the sink drain!

She can't help being reminded of her younger sister when she looks at Beatrice. Blonde hair, blue eyes, book lover, short- though maybe Beatrice has more muscles than her very thin sister.

"Do you love to read?"

Beatrice sighs in irritation as she tries to get her article right and written. The first retort which came to her mind is probably laced with sarcasm and dashed with a few curses for good measure, but she holds it back when she remembers how Myra has left some food for her to eat last night.

 _She's a nice person... You shouldn't make too many enemies Beatrice._

"Yeah. I love reading."

"My sister loves to read too. Her birthday's in December and I'm thinking of buying her new books... but I don't have much money in my pockets."

Beatrice releases a long sigh before she crumples another sheet of badly written article, picking up the rest of her failed writings and throwing them into the nearby trash can.

"What kind of books does she reads?"

"Fictions... Fantasy... Romance... The usual." Myra replies, scanning Beatrice's long line of books. "Yours seems a bit unique."

Beatrice smirks at her comment, glancing at the array of astronomy, history and philosophy related books. A few volumes of 'Beginner's Guide to the French Language' sits at a far corner and the only fiction romance sits at the end of the line.

"I grew up reading non-fictions." She shrugs. Pulling out a new writing sheet and penning down her article all over again.

CCO

A grumbling sound from Tobias's stomach reaches his colleague's ears and he buries his head in his hands.

"Goodness Eaton... Go and get something to eat, I'm tired of hearing that stomach of yours. It is making me hungry." His colleague groans from his desk.

Tobias huffs in irritation, slamming his laptop shut and flicks the switch of his desk lamp off.

Just as he grabs his jacket, he notices that his colleague is packing up too.

"You're leaving already, Edward?" Tobias asks his work mate who is a few years older than him.

Edward looks at him with an eyebrow quirked up. "I told you, Eaton... You're making me hungry."

Tobias shakes his head and leaves for the self-service cafeteria. He scans the counter of food, looking for something good but affordable.

His eyes pause on the plates of gnocchi.

The plates of gnocchi with marinara sauce.

 _"My mum loved to cook and she had lots of recipe books in the house. Cooking reminds me of her and so I always try to look for recipe books in the local library back on the Buffalo Mountains which I can borrow. Gnocchi are one of the things she really loved to cook." She told him as she fished the gnocchi she boiled out of the bubbling water._

"Those gnocchis are really good." Edward informs with a nod. "I had them yesterday and it was probably the best gnocchi I've ever tasted."

Tobias eyes Edward's bowl of chicken soup. "Then why aren't you buying those instead?"

Edward shrugs. "I never stick to one meal bro. I like to taste everything. But really, you should try it."

Tobias shakes his head, picking up a bowl of chicken soup for himself. "Too expensive." He remarks.

Edward scoffs. _You can lie better than_ _labeling_ _a five dollar meal expensive._ He mentally remarks.

"So what brought you here?" Edward asks, tearing his white bread into small pieces and dumping them all into his soup.

Tobias takes a sip of his, only to cringe at the excessive amount of salt they added. "Well, I couldn't find a job elsewhere..."

"So you travelled all the way from Chicago? You're fucking kidding me. There's got to be a much stronger reason than just that."

Tobias looks down at his soup, the too salty soup. "This soup is salty."

"As salty as you are."

He glares at Edward before dropping his spoon and leaving the table.

"Let me guess, an ex?"

The world seems to stop for Tobias when the words leave Edwards mouth.

"Thought so." Edward smirks, a victorious look shining through his eyes. "But you know what? You don't have to be all salty about it. She's probably too pathetic for you anyway."

 _Red_.

All Tobias could see is red.

 _You never call that... that Prior girl who stole away his heart pathetic._

"Say what _Edward_." He spits out the name. "Have you ever had a girl before? Would you appreciate it if I call her pathetic?"

The blonde and bulky dude doesn't seem to be fazed by Tobias's words at all, turning to look at him with a relaxed face and raised eyebrows. "To be honest, no. In fact, that's what she is." He picks up another piece of bread, shredding it to smaller pieces before dumping them all into the soup. "you know why she broke up with me Eaton? Because she said that I was mean and too violent for beating up the guys who almost violated her." He chops his spoon down repeatedly, trying to cut the big piece of chicken into bite size. "She said that all that I should have done was sit back and watch the cops handle everything. And like seriously man? Watch the cop do everything? Those guys have been slipping away from their charges for like a million times, and honestly? They deserve to be beaten up. Yet I'm still too violent for her pathetic heart."

 _Violated..._

 _Slipping away from charges..._

 _Al?_

"Hold it." Tobias speaks out, grabbing back his seat on the opposite side of Edward. "This guy who you beat up, can you remember anything about him?"

Edward looks up with a frown. "Why so interested?"

"I don't know just... curious. Cause I've heard about some gang getting busted a couple of months ago and, you know, they might be the same people."

Edward scoffs before looking back down at his soup, taking a mouthful before replying to Tobias. "I don't know Eaton. They're large and bulky guys... One of them had orange hair... What do I care anyway? My business with them is done and I was dumped for that. And who cares about those dudes or my ex anymore anyway? She can be dead or alive for all I fucking care about."

 _Orange haired..._

Could he be Al's accomplice?

"That oran-"

"Fuck it, Eaton." Edward snaps. "Go away, I'm done talking or eating with you."

Tobias stands still, first shocked, then angry. "You can't just... order me around like that. Who do you think you are? The king?"

"Yes. I can be the king for all I care. Now go away and let me finish my meal in piece."

 _He thinks he's the king?_

 _Well bad news for him, he doesn't take orders from the king..._

Tobias glares at him. Picking up his spoon and drinking up the salty soup despite Edward's glares.


	7. Chapter 7: The Letter

**A/N: ^^**

* * *

 **Manasi: Yeah... it may be a good way for them to meet, but (spoiler-not-so-spoiler alert) things aren't going to go so well for them in the next few chapters. Which is amongst the main reasons as to why I will be posting two chapters a week until like chapter ten. So that the melancholic note does not go on for too long ;)**

 **Divergentmaniac: Glad to assist you in relieving your exam-stresses. Because exam stress really does sucks!**

 **Ahh... I think you won't be as excited once you read their first REAL conversation... Just saying...**

 **And thank you so much! I really, really hope that I won't let your expectations down :)**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

Tobias grits his teeth in annoyance, wishing to shove that dean out of his classroom. It is _his_ lesson, no one should interfere with it. But of course, some student just had to complain to the dean that a certain Professor Eaton is not committed to his teaching duty, leaving earlier than he should.

So instead of reading through their assignments and see what the students do not understand about philosophy, he just reads a few passages from _The Laws of Thought_. Which is a good thing for he only has to occasionally look at his rows of students meaning he can avoid glancing over to _the girl's_ intense gaze.

Somehow though, when she pays so much attention to the class and seems so excited when she understands something new and jots it down in her book in a hurry, a little candle flicker briefly in the hole where his heart used to be, lighting up a portion of it, emitting a nice and warm feeling which nudges the corners of his lips up by a millimetre.

In the end, the dean nods and smiles to him, signalling that he did a good job and leaves him alone to wrap up the class without any interference.

"I know that it is already written in your lesson schedules, but I'd just prefer to re-clarify that our classes on the Fridays are held in the evening instead of the morning. Good day, class." He nods, gathers the sheets of passed up assignments and leaves the study hall in a much better mood than yesterday.

"Huh. He _does_ have manners." A boy from the back row scoffs just as he closes the door.

CCO

"Hey, we don't have any assignments for today don't we?" Myra asks in between the sips of her orange juice she takes. "Why don't we walk around the complex? You know? Just having a look around the place?"

Beatrice stirs her drink with a straw, a frown etched on her face. "Well... I don't know. I am actually thinking of checking out the library today."

"That's a pity... I was thinking of checking out the garden they have here. A friend of mine told me once that they have a pretty cool garden somewhere."

At the word of _garden_ , Beatrice cancels all of her plans and finishes her drink in a blink, even more eager to see the gardens than the person who came out with the idea in the first place.

"And I guess this should be the place," Myra says, facing a glass wall which separates them from what should be the garden.

Beatrice can't help feeling disappointed at how small it is compared to the one she has in mind.

She can't deny it, she misses the garden at the Eatons' house for it reminds her exactly of what her mom has planned to build at their old house over on the Buffalo Mountains before the fire happened.

The fire which ruined everything.

The fire which messed up her whole life and all her dreams.

"Beatrice!"

She shakes herself from her thoughts to realise that her friend has already entered the garden and is standing a few feet away from her.

"Come on! It's pretty in here."

 _Definitely not as pretty as the Eatons' garden._

But she has to say that she shouldn't be too biased with her judgement. For the garden is a considerably nice one. Though there aren't any fancy flowers or herbs, they still have some daisies grown on the edges of the walkway with some pink and purple petunias thrown in for the bright colours.

In fact, they even have a small pond with ducks and fishes swimming quietly in it and circled by tall willow trees with it's leaves dipping deep into the water.

Sighing in content, Beatrice sits down under the shades of the willow trees and pulls out her book from her bag- wondering, for the millionth time, why is Beata so stupid as to not see just how much Robert loves her.

 _Yet she still can't see just how much Tobias has been and still is in love with her..._

CCO

 _She stands at the edge of the balcony, holding on to the stone railing as she stares up to the lonely night sky. Lonely for there aren't many stars up there. Just the moon and a few twinkling dots sprinkled here and there._

 _He tries to not, but he couldn't stop thinking about her since last night. He couldn't understand why. It isn't her blonde locks, it isn't her pretty face or her body either. In fact, to be frank, she isn't one you'd call pretty or beautiful or anything of those sorts. She is so small and quiet that she could probably walk up onto the stage under a damn spotlight and no one would notice her still. But to him, she's like that brightest star in the night sky. That one star which you keep on spotting again and again despite the fact that there are millions of other stars shining on you. There's just something about her, something which calls out for him so desperately and he couldn't seem to shake off that feeling._

 _"Hey." He greets her, instantly getting her attention._

 _Maybe it's the way her grey-blue eyes pierce through his? Like a lightning striking straight down to his heart, imprinting its mark right there._

 _"Hey..." Her sweet, sweet voice replies._

He misses that voice.

Someone help him because he misses that voice all too much.

The big brown clock ticks on loudly. Reminding him of how many seconds he is wasting thinking about that girl.

He wants to hate her, he really, really wants to. But the way she sat in his class with interest and curious eyes this morning... The way how she really participates in her lessons and shows a keen interest in everything he utters despite the fact that she came in late the day before... The way her article which is lying innocently on his desk is so brilliantly written despite the fact that he can see the signs of a person who is holding her potentials back from her writing... He can't help feeling eager and excited of having a student he knows would be a fascinating person to debate with in his class.

But every time he sees her writing, the way she curls up the tails of her 'y' and how she tends to mix up all the 'h' and the 'e' whenever they come across each other into some new kind of symbol, and the way how her writing is so small that he bet his father would never be able to read it without his glasses... His thoughts would always drift to that letter she has left under the bouquet of sweet peas and wilted flowers for him- they are written by the same hands.

 _...I'm sorry that I couldn't love you that way..._

 _...I'm sorry to say that you've just been wasting your time..._

 _...I'm sorry to say that your efforts have been all for naught..._

He pushes himself from the black rails of his balcony and storms towards his bed, dropping on it in a heavy mess.

 _...I'm sorry to say that I just couldn't love you that way..._

 _...Thank you for helping me struggle through all my troubles, but I'm sorry to say that you've just been wasting your time..._

 _...Thank you for all the love and gifts you've poured onto me, but I'm sorry to say that your efforts have been all for naught..._

 _...Anyway Tobias... I'm sure that you've never really loved me that way have you?..._

Why is it so hard for her to believe just how much he loves her?

Why is it so hard for her to believe that he couldn't love anyone else?

 _...And I'm sure that letting go of me would be easy and soon, I'll just be another page of your life you've moved on from..._

 _As how I hope you will be for me too..._

 _...hope that our paths won't cross once more..._

He's probably just another page of her life which she's moved on from...

 _She_ doesn't want to see him again, why should he let her see him again?


	8. Chapter 8: Explain Love, Miss Prior

**A/N: So very sorry for the late chapter, but I have been immensely busy for the last couple of the days and have failed to find a time to edit this chapter. The next one will hopefully make it up in time on either Tuesday or Wednesday... Then I'll be out again on Thursday... :/ But I think my Friday and weekend will be free this week :) So I might post the next one on Saturday instead of Friday. (P/S: Chapter 10 is one of my favourites ^^ The title is called Geranium. If you know the meaning of the flower...)**

 **And by the way, I have been wondering, how many of you has no clue on who Edward and Myra are in the original Divergent series?**

* * *

 **Manasi: I notice that I play with that element a lot in my stories... :D**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

She stares at the big red C on her paper in shock. She's never gotten a grade so low. Fernando looks at his friend in pity. He knows just how much she hates getting a single grade lower than an A. He places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She shrugs it off.

Beatrice wipes her sweaty palms together, fidgeting with her fingers before she abruptly stands up. Eyes trained on her professor who cocks an eyebrow in a challenge.

She's all up for a challenge.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" He asks in a taunting voice.

"Yes. Yes there is Professor Eaton. I don't understand why did I get a C for my assignment. You didn't even leave any comments on it."

He crosses his arms over his chest and leans over his desk. "Was I supposed to?"

"Yes! How should I know where did I go wrong in my article so that I won't do it again if you didn't do so?"

A grin makes its way up to Professor Eaton's mouth.

Beatrice wants to wipe it off.

"You wrote well. Perfect grammar, brilliant structures... but what you were trying to say in the article was in a mess."

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "You mean?"

"I meant that you couldn't understand what was it that you wanted to say and what you don't want to say. What you wrote wasn't an explanation from the heart, but rather just an observation which you filtered so that it'll slip through criticisation."

"But that has nothing to do with the quote and shouldn't affect the article!"

"But it does. If you couldn't relate yourself to what you write, then what is the purpose of your writing? Writing, Miss Prior, writing is a form of expression. If you couldn't deliver your innermost feelings through your writing, then you can just drop the pen."

With one final nod, he turns away from her and wrote four letters on the whiteboard. "Miss Prior, explain this word. And when I say explain the word, it means that I want to know what you really think about it."

Beatrice stares at the word which is taunting her, poking at that empty hole inside her heart.

 _LOVE_

 _Explain it and when I say explain the word, it means that I want to know what you really think about it._

"Love is a serious mental disease." She recites- her voice a little bit tight as Fernando observes.

Professor Eaton cocks an eyebrow at her. "That is quoting Plato, Miss Prior. I want it in your own words."

She lifts her chin up by an inch. "Love is much more painful than it is pleasurable." She pauses before adding. "Something I'd avoid rather than fall for."

A brief flash of emotion sparks its way across his eyes before they returned to its stoic look. He nods once and claps thrice, slowly... mockingly. "Well said. No wonder you kept on pushing everyone who loves you away. In fact, maybe that is the reason why it seems like no one could love your pretty little heart? And maybe that is the reason why your father left you?"

Beatrice slams her fist on her table in anger. _Using her insecurities against her, this is highly inappropriate, unfair and strictly unprofessional._

"Miss Prior, if you want to express something, speak. You don't have to slam the table to show your anger."

"Well if you are going to twist each and every word that I say then I don't think I should say anything should I?"

Professor Eaton tilts his head to one side. "Wasn't it you who stood up and said that you needed to say a word?"

"This is unfair professor." The black haired boy beside her announces. "Professor Eaton, not to be rude, but I do believe that you were the one who asked her to explain what love meant to her. So it is unfair for you to say that it was Beatrice who wanted to speak or decipher what the word means for her to her."

Tobias stares at him for a moment, sure that he has seen his face before but couldn't quite place it. "Tell me Mr..."

"Wolt. My name is Fernando Wolt."

 _Wolt... Of course he's seen him. He's the Mayor of Cincinnati's son. He was also the same boy who pulled that Prior girl away at the bus stop the other day._

 _...It seems like she's got a high class of taste._

 _In Cincinnati, she hits on the son of the Mayor of Cincinnati._

 _In Chicago..._

The muscles of his jaw contract themselves.

 _…I'm sorry to say that you've just been wasting your time..._

"Tell me Mr. Wolt, do you know what the word means for her?"

Fernando bites his lip and seems to give it a thought before he shakes his head.

"Well there you go, for all you know, _I_ know what that word means to her and _you_ don't even know if I do or if I don't."

"But you don't." She speaks with confidence, fire blazing in her eyes.

He knew that there is a fire trapped inside those eyes.

And he's starting to enjoy igniting it.

"Don't I now? Am I not right if I say that you have pushed away a person who had loved you with all his heart?"

She doesn't answer.

He smirks in triumph.

"An essay about love. I want to see it done by next week." Tobias flips his book close and leaves for the door.

"Honestly, who does that guy thinks he is?" The kid from yesterday announces to the class once again.

"He's rude." another quips in.

This isn't the Tobias which she knows. This is the Tobias which she feared he might turn into if he wasn't cared and loved for enough.

 _Am I not right if I say that you have pushed away a person who had loved you with all his heart?_

 _Is he really broken hearted?_

 _Did she break his heart?_

CCO

 _The ducks don't sleep do they?_ Beatrice wonders as she watches them swimming peacefully on the surface of the pond, creating small ripples and waves. She hides deep within the hanging leaves of the willow tree, avoiding any curious glances or being spotted by either Myra or Fernando.

There's only one person who has uncovered her secret of hiding deep within a bunch of willow leaves. Not even her twin sister or her father have succeeded in finding her hiding place. These wallowing willows have always been her shelter and her guardian whenever she wishes to be alone.

Except for once... Once when all she wanted to do was to forget everything which was happening to her, a certain deep blue eyed man just had to find her despite the fact that she's buried herself deep within the curtains of the willow leaves.

 _Why must he find her that day?_

That day when all she wanted to do was to forget about him... why then?

Because that was the moment when she actually believes that he loves her. When he looked down into her eyes with such worry and pain and fear- fear for losing her forever... That look in his eyes, she wants to ignore it, but she just couldn't.

For that look in his eyes is the exact same look Robert had in his eyes whenever he was looking at Beata.

 _Love._

 _It was love._

 _He loved her._

She wanted to- still wants to deny it, but she knows... She knows that she couldn't.

 _He loved her._

 _And she might have broken his heart by rejecting his love._

But his heart is so strong, it just couldn't have possibly been broken by her now can it?

CCO

The stack of papers on his desk builds up higher and higher as the minutes pass by. At the ring of the bell, Tobias reads the names written at the top of the papers, searching for that one name whose article he is very much interested in reading.

He can't find it.

He searches through the papers once more, verbally reading the last few names in a low murmur. "Miss Black, Mr. Wolt, Miss Gladwi-" He pauses, thinking that he's seen that last name somewhere on his first day here though shaking his head in second thought. "Must have been my imagination," He tells himself, continuing to read out the names until he reaches the last paper from the stack.

"Miss Prior." He announces, lifting his head up to look at her in the eyes. "Your essay is not here."

She fidgets with her fingers, chewing the insides of her cheeks. "I... didn't get to finish it."

"You mean to say that you couldn't find the time to write one simple essay throughout the whole weekend? What exactly have you been up to that kept you so busy?" He asks, crossing his arms across his chest.

She doesn't reply his question, staring down at her pale hands to avoid his gaze.

Tobias huffs in irritation. "Wednesday. I want to see it on Wednesday, Miss Prior and I'm not negotiating that deal anymore.

He places the stack of papers on the edge of his desk in a thump before walking towards the whiteboard, picking up the marker and plucking its cap off.

HAPPINESS

"Miss Prior, explain happiness." Tobias demands, turning around to face her expectantly.

She rises from her seat slowly, wheels turning in her head as she searches for an answer.

A few seconds later, the professor starts tapping his feet on the carpeted floor impatiently, making it harder for her to think.

"We don't have a whole weekend for you to come out with an answer Miss Prior."

"Well... it's hard to define happiness. For happiness is just a state of mind, the way you view things. It doesn't exactly have a definitive explanation for it."

"And am I asking for a definitive explanation for it?" He interrupts.

"No, but everyone owns a different definition for happiness. Albert Einstein said a table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin is happiness for him. Mahatma Gandhi said that happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Even Aristotle said that happiness depends upon ourselves.

Her professor glares at her. "Miss Prior, if you are not aware of the fact that I am the one standing with a degree in philosophy and am the philosophy professor over here, then you are allowed to teach me Aristotle all over again. What I asked of you is to explain happiness, and as I have mentioned last Friday, when I say explain, I want to know what it means to you and not Einstein or Gandhi."

Beatrice pulls in a shaky breath.

Happiness was when her family was actually whole.

Happiness was when her father brought her out to buy ice creams.

Happiness was when her mother combed her hair and read her bedtime stories.

Happiness is when you have someone to love and are being loved.

Being loved... being loved is the feeling she gets by just knowing that someone would always be there for you...

 ** _He_** _was always there for her..._

"Happiness..." She starts out in a tight voice, clearing her throat to repeat in a louder one. "Happiness is the peaceful feeling you get when you know that someone is always and will always be there for you. Happiness is that feeling you get when you are being loved."

Tears sting his eyes.

 _I was there for you... Yet you didn't feel loved? Am I just not enough? Or is your heart just incapable of feeling loved?_

He briefly shuts his eyes and lets out one shaky breath.

"Then I gather that you must hate being happy?"

The look in her eyes changes from longing to confusion as she tries to decipher his question. "What do you... Why?"

"Because if I remember correctly, you mentioned in our previous class that love is something you'd prefer to avoid, something which is much more painful than it is pleasurable. So I guess that you'd rather wallow up in your tears than being happy."

"Well, no... I-"

"No wonder you never smile." He states plainly, turning away from her.

The words ring a bell inside Fernando's mind.

 _No wonder you never smile..._


	9. Chapter 9 Who's Evil?

**Manasi: It is actually much more complicated than that... I think Tobias will explain his actions somewhere around chapter 20 or so :)**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

"Miss Prior..." He huffs in irritation putting down the paper just as he reads the title, _'Happiness is Love'_. "I asked you to write an article about love, not happiness."

Beatrice chews the insides of her cheeks, fidgeting with the loose threads on the end of her scarf. "I... thought that love and happiness were more or less the same thing. So I kind of focused on the happiness aspect of love."

Tobias closes his eyes, pulling a deep breath in and stares at the paper. Wondering if he wants to crumple it up and throw it in the nearby trash can to show her just how angry he is or to read what she has to say about happiness.

The paper ends up in the trash can.

"Next Friday, Miss Prior. No excuses, essay about love and not happiness."

The girl stands in front of his desk, eyes filled with shock and hurt.

"But I spent a long time writing that-"

"Next time Miss Prior, write according to the topic."

The fire in her eyes slowly starts to ignite itself. "You're evil." She accuses in a low voice.

He turns around from her and picks up the black inked marker fidgeting with it, wondering if he does or does not want to write the four letter words on the whiteboard.

"Evil." He reads out loud. "Could someone define evil?"

"The devil." One of her classmates announce.

"The opposite of good?" Another adds in.

When no other student speaks up and Professor Eaton closes his eyes in frustration, she knows what's coming up next.

"Miss Prior, would you care to define evil?"

Though the first word which comes to her head is definitely "You.", she bites it back and stands up slowly, rummages her brain, collecting words and building a sentence to define the word. But all that comes up in her mind is the faces of the people who have ruined her life...

 _Jeanine Matthews..._

 _Albert Peters..._

 _David Greene..._

 _Tobias Eaton...?_

"Miss Prior, definition of evil?"

"Evil... is the adjective to describe a person who has a stone for their hearts, or maybe when their hearts is so cold that it might have been made out of ice, or a person who just finds joy in doing immoral behaviours. Or maybe a person who has no heart at all."

Tobias takes a deep breath, leaning on his desk for support.

"And what causes one to be evil? Or how immoral is a behaviour for it to be labelled as evil?"

"Ignorance. Ignorance is the root and stem of every evil. When a person ignores their victims feelings or the consequences which would trouble the victim after that- then they are evil."

"How about if a person wishes another to be dead... Say A wishes that B is dead because A hates B so much, would A be evil?"

She looks up to him, a little spark of interest in her eyes. "I... don't think so..."

Tobias quirks an eyebrow at her. "Why?" He asks.

"Well, I don't think a person would be evil just for having evil thoughts. They might have a tendency to be evil, yes that might be true. But they aren't evil just yet. When A wishes for B to be dead, did A killed B? No, he didn't. And why didn't he? Because his heart is just not cold or hard or missing enough to end another person's life. So A isn't evil."

"But what might happen if A hates B so much that... he one day just might kill B because he wants to see her suffer."

"But he couldn't." She insists, looking into his eyes with such persistence that he feels as if his are slowly melting under the gaze. "He might try to, but in the end he just couldn't. Because this A guy has a heart."

"But if it's stolen?"

"Pardon me?"

"If let's say B stole A's heart away, and that is the reason why A hates B so much. How can A still have a heart then? Isn't his heart stolen? Won't it just be synonymous to not having a heart at all which, if I remember correctly, is one of the criteria in a person who could be categorised as evil."

Tobias watches as she lets his words sink in.

 _She knows..._ He tells himself.

 _She understands and now she knows..._

She understands and now she knows that she has stolen his heart and that is why he hates her so much.

The class was silent for a long while, all eyes are on the Prior girl as she tries to come up with an answer to his question until she finally looks up- and he felt as if the study hall has suddenly grown dim. With the fire in her eyes disappearing and only leaving ashes on them, she replies, "Then B is the evil one in this story because B is the one who ignored A's feelings when she stole his heart." Her voice tight as it is squeezed through the lumps in her throat.

"Yes." He nods. "B _is_ evil isn't she?"

Tobias can't help feeling a little bit satisfied when he sees how she slowly sits back down in silence, not uttering any single word throughout their whole class.

But a little voice at the back of his mind tries to reach his conscience...

 _Ignorance is the root and stem of all evil. He is evil for not considering her feelings now..._

Well he is evil since he no longer has a heart right?

Then why is it that he feels as if something in his chest is weeping when he sees a tear rolling down her cheek?

CCO

 _Love is a serious mental disease._

Beatrice stares at her first sentence, erasing it, rewriting it, erasing it, and rewriting it again.

"Do you think Professor Eaton would mind it if I quoted Plato just for my first sentence?" Beatrice asks her friend who has her pen dancing on the half-filled paper as she writes an article for some column in the university's weekly newspaper. She is jealous at how easy it seems for Myra to pen down an article.

Myra shrugs. "I quoted Shakespeare in mine last week. And he didn't seem to mind... And I really I don't think he'll mind would he?"

Beatrice bites her lips as she leaves the ten times rewritten first sentence un-erased and stares at the rest of the blank page. Black lines waiting for her to fill them up.

She heaves a sigh, pulling her brown coat from her cupboard and picking up her ring of keys from her desk.

"Myra, I think I want to go to the library to get some ideas."

Myra frowns at her. "Are you that messed up with your love life?"

 _Worse..._ She mentally replies.

Stepping into the cold Autumn's day, Beatrice pulls her brown coat around her tighter, buttoning up all the possible buttons and securing her scarf around her neck again and again. Her boots step softly on the bricked path, tiny droplets of water bouncing at each of her steps.

She breathes a sigh of relief once she reaches the doors of the library, a small blissful feel creeping in towards her heart as the smell of books touches her nostrils.

"The library is closing in ten minutes." A librarian notifies her as he stores in a stack of books onto a nearby shelf.

Beatrice throws an end of her scarf over her shoulder while nodding. "I'll only be here for a few," She says before jogging up towards the philosophy section. Her eyes scan through the shelves, looking for anything which might help her out. A few titles strike her mind, _'The Triangular Theory of Love', 'A General Theory of Love', 'Stenberg's Theory of Love'..._

 _... 'Being Loved'._

Beatrice pulls the book out of the metal bookshelf and leans against it, flipping through the thin book as she tries to look for some ingredients to add in her article.

"To love is to care for another person more than you care for yourself. When it doesn't matter if it hurts as long as they are happy."

 _ **He** didn't mind sacrificing his own time to comfort her and make sure that she is fine._

Pushing the voice out of her head, she flips the book a few pages ahead before resuming to read.

"And being loved is the feeling you get when you know that someone is always and will always be there for you whenever you need them."

 _ **He** was always there whenever she needed him._

Again, she blatantly ignores the little voice as she skips all the way to the last page of the book.

"When a person loves you, they'd always find a way to make you happy."

 _He **always** found ways to make her happy. The library, the lookout tower, the little jokes and kisses..._

"But after all, just the smile on their faces are enough to lighten up your soul and that intoxicating smell they carry will always find a way to wrap around you in a warm and comforting hug."

 _She breathes in the sweet and musky scent which he always carries wherever he is. The scent which she realises has been the source of comfort during her hard times. The scent which has put her to rest whenever the nightmares catch her. The scent which she has grown to love. The scent which reminds her of the man she probably is falling for._

Beatrice slaps the book close and runs out of the library.

 _If let's say B stole A's heart away, and that is the reason why A hates B so much. How can A still have a heart then? Isn't his heart stolen?_

 _He **is** hurt... His heart is stolen, his heart really is broken..._

 _She **is** the one who broke his heart._

 _And she loves him._

 _And she wants to love him._

She needs to find him.

CCO

The silhouette of a tall man, hands in his pocket walks slowly against the wall and Beatrice immediately recognises who he is by the way he tries to keep his eyes away from the ground below as he crosses a narrow corridor

Beatrice breaks into a sprint and runs after him.

"Tobias!"

He ignores her.

"Tobias, please..."

He halts.

"Tobias, I'm, I'm sorry I-"

"It's Professor Eaton, Miss Prior."

"No, it's Tobias and I am-"

"Miss. Prior." He replies, pronouncing the word with such venom that it actually inflicts fear in her heart.

 _He's never been afraid of Tobias..._

 _Tobias is never supposed to be this cruel and cold..._

 _Tobias is kind and caring..._

 _This is Four._

 _Four is a jerk._

 _And she couldn't allow that fourth Tobias to control him._

"Tobias, could you please stop this-"

"This what?"

He turns around and meets her gaze. "This what?" He queries again, an eyebrow lifted in question.

"This... this attitude you... You're... this is not you, Tobias."

"No? How would you know?"

"Because you're... all those months ago, all those time we've spent, you're... you're just not this... You're supposed to be kind, and, and happy and caring and full of life... This just is not you, Tobias. Please..."

His lips curl up into a smirk, but she doesn't notice how his eyes starts to glisten and his gaze wavers- his heart beating fast as he struggles to utter the words which she fears she'd hear.

"You want to know why I've changed? Why you don't know me anymore?"

Beatrice takes a step back.

"Because, Miss Prior, I have moved on," He says, turning away from her. "You told me to."


	10. Chapter 10: Geranium

**IMPORTANT: One thing I'd like to clear up before you read this chapter, please understand that I am not agreeing with what Beatrice believes in the end. I believe that is actually quite foolish to think the way she does, but I guess that it is an example to show how messed up people can get, even the seemingly very strong people when they are pushed too far off the edge (especially when a person is foolishly in love.). And yes, what Tobias is doing is very much wrong. He has no rights to treat her the way he is just because he is angry at her. But yeah, when a person is brought up with an abusive caretaker, it is actually a natural tendency for them to go on the abusive side when things don't go their way, even if they hate it. I'm not trying to justify his actions, in fact as I stated, I am very much against it, but I am not writing a fantasy where everything is so happy and everyone is good. I am trying to write a story with a more realistic idea and event. So here, you will see him go quite mentally abusive, then here and throughout the next few chapters, he will start to see things and realise how messed up he is and he is turning his life into and will try to redeem himself back...** **Kind of like that :)**

 **A/N: Hope you guys had, are having or will have a great holiday. I am yet to go on my vacation and so I am still here to entertain those few who are sitting by the fireplace, preferring to read and stay at home rather than celebrating the festive season (That sounds really lovely actually... I'd add in a mug of hot cocoa for good measure). I _will_ , however, be away coming weekend until like Thursday or Friday and sadly, I won't be posting any chapters while I'm out. But please stay with me because I promise that I will be back after that. I'll try to publish chapter 11 this coming Wednesday so things won't be too cliffy when I leave you, but I am not promising anything though I _will_ try to :)**

 **Have a nice weekend everyone!**

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 **Manasi: XDDD**

 **Divergentmaniac: Well... Tobias is very obviously so stubborn. So once he has made a certain judgment, it is hard for anyone to convince him to see things in a contrary view. And actually, if you have noticed, I place them into incidents similar to the ones which happened in Acacia with their roles switched. For example, in Acacia, it was Tris who felt like Tobias did not love her and is actually in a relationship with Shauna while in Arbutus, it is Tobias who believes that Tris does not loves him and is actually in a relationship with Fernando. And you can kind of see how they both take the situations differently.**

 **As an example, in the said situation, Tris is more accepting about it as she believes that she isn't good enough for him at any rate and when he _does_ profess his love, she is still afraid to submit to that feeling for she fears that Tobias _will_ leave her one day because he probably deserves someone better and also that fear she has of loving another person only to lose them (her parents and her siblings, even if she meets her siblings again, the fear doesn't just poof out of the blue). Tobias at the other hand is more frustrated with it for he has done so much for her and had given her all his life. Especially when he is a little bit too over sensitive and perceived the wilted acacias Tris left for him at the end of Acacia as a straight out rejection. And it also makes him really frustrated because he is so sure that the love between them is mutual and he believes that she was very close to admitting that she loves him in chapter 29 of Acacia when he parked his car so close to the wall that it was impossible for Tris to step out of it (which is also why Tobias subconsciously parks his car so close to the wall every time he parks it in the garage. He is sort of like wanting to relive that moment and actually get those words out of her mouth.). So when he sees her 'dating' with another guy, it makes him feel very angry at Tris for denying her feelings and lying to herself and at the same time, question himself if she has been acting all these while just to play with his heart and maybe get some money or an easy life (as evident in chapter 8 of Arbutus where Tobias realises that Fernando Wolt is the son of the mayor of Cincinnati). In fact, a few chapters into writing this story, I made a Fourtris' emotions mind map kind of thing (which I will remind myself to post on my Tumblr) and you can see that Tobias's emotions are generally in the angry and very much passionate side while Tris's are more confused and sorrowful.**

 **And so... yeah, I got a little carried on there XD But anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope that you won't see how things will turn out so that I can surprise you with the ending but you liking it anyways :)**

 **Massive spoiler alert... The ending is a real Fourtris ending as I have been telling you guys ever since Acacia, so you don't have to kill me for separating them every once in a while because everything good and long-lasting needs to go through a lot of trials right?**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

Tobias pulls the ends of his hair in agony. Furious at himself for allowing that girl to make him cry again. Why should he care about how desperate she was to see the real him, the Tobias who she used to know? Why should he care about the shattering sound of her heart breaking when he said he has moved on? Why should he care about her feelings at all?

Wasn't it her who said that she doesn't want to meet him again? Wasn't it her who told him to move on? Wasn't it her who said that his love is all for naught? She herself has said that she'd prefer to avoid loving and being loved. He didn't choose to fall in love with her, heck he didn't even want to fall for her! It was _her fault_ for dancing into his life and stealing his heart- he didn't ask for it!

And yet here he is, once again, for the second time in two days, breaking down on the cold balcony under the stars while she's probably laughing and having a whale of a time with that new mayor's son she's hitting on.

 _He wants to kill her..._

 _He really wishes that he can._

 _He wants to personally hold that pale neck of hers which she always hides under that scarf so tightly and watch as the life drain out from her eyes. Until that blazing fire burn out to never light up again._

 _Is he evil for wanting her to die?_

 _Is he just like that douchebag who left her to die near Cleveland Avenue?_

 _Is he just like Al?_

CCO

 _He's moved on..._

 _He's moved on..._

She is too late.

She'll never ever feel those warm hands comb through her hair in an attempt to soothe her. Or the feeling of his arms holding her tight to him. Or hear those merry ring of laughter. Or that smile which has always been able to light up the darkest of storms.

Beatrice crouches against a large tree she found hidden deep inside the university's garden, her right hand clutching to her painful chest.

Wasn't it just a year ago that they were laughing under the stars? Wasn't it just a year ago that those deep blue eyes soothe her down and not made her cry? Wasn't it just one year ago that he pressed his soft lips on her forehead?

 _The same pair of lips which torments her heart with his harsh words?_

Fresh tears moisten her cheeks again and again every time the words repeat itself in her mind.

 _I've moved on. You told me to._

 _I've moved on. You told me to._

Her breathing starts to be followed by a familiar wheeze.

CCO

He waits... and he waits...

But when the bell rings, the article still hasn't appeared on his desk.

The professor stands up, his eyes finding hers.

"Miss Prior, the article?"

Beatrice closes her eyes briefly, pulling in a deep breath. "I didn't finish it."

The students jump in their seats at the sudden explosion of sound when the professor slams his fist on his desk.

"I gave you a whole week, Miss Prior, one week to write down a simple one-page article. I didn't even asked for a two paged essay or a fifty thousand words novel about it."

"Professor Eaton, I'm- I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to. I... I tried but I couldn't finish it."

"Couldn't finish it?" He asks. His voice isn't raging. No, his voice is quiet. Quiet but icy and dripping with venom.

When the lion is roaring in front of you, the fear you feel can never beat the fear of knowing that a snake is slithering quietly about your feet, but you are unable to hear it or to see it.

When a person rages, you know what to expect. But once a person is dead quiet when they are angry, you can't read his steps.

"You couldn't finish it?" He asks again.

Beatrice shakes her head slowly, the tip of her fingers tingling.

"And yet the rest of your classmates could finish it within three days... Are you a sloth or are you just that stupid?"

Harsh tears prickle her eyes and she struggles to keep her voice normal. "It wasn't the time, professor."

"Then?"

"It was... it was the topic."

Tobias tries to recollect his thoughts and keep that red cloud of storm at bay. _He is not going to face the dean for the second time in two weeks._

"What, about the topic which made it so hard for you? Do you not understand the concept of love or do you think that you are so highly above the level of all things connected to love that it's such a petty topic for you to write?"

"It's- it's not that professor. It's... you told me the other day that writing is a form of expression. That when I write, I'm supposed to express what I feel. And it's hard because I couldn't understand what love means to me... It's just..."

"Is your heart _that_ cold, Miss Prior?"

Beatrice looks up, her eyes meeting his in shock.

 _Cold?... Is that how he sees her?_

"I-"

"Then why don't you just write about how cold your heart is?"

She stares dumbfounded at the man in front of her.

"Tob-"

"Miss. Prior." He pronounces, the icy tone sending Beatrice over the edge. "If you couldn't write a simple essay, then I advise you to just leave this class because I assure you that you are going to fail this class with an F grade."

Shutting her eyes with force, she slings her bag over her shoulder and walks out of the classroom in a quiet hurry.

Myra runs after her.

Fernando points a warning finger towards the professor. "I _will_ report this to the authority."

Professor Eaton just waves his hand dismissively and picks up a brown book from his desk, flipping it open before giving one last glance towards Fernando. "I can tell them that Miss Prior has some problems with completing her assignments."

Fernando glowers at him and chases after his friends.

"Beatrice!" Myra shouts, her tiny legs struggling to keep up with the pace her friend is going at- she swears that Beatrice can win the Olympics.

"Beatrice wait!"

Fernando outruns Myra and soon catches up with Beatrice, holding her back with a hand on her shoulder which she shrugs off.

"Beatrice..."

"Could all of you just freaking leave me alone!" She screams. Her eyes are mad, furious but what bothers Myra is the fact that they are also red with tears and hurt.

"Just leave me alone and stop bothering with my life."

Fernando and Myra can only stand and watch their friend running away from them.

"I'm going to kill that professor," Fernando says through gritted teeth.

Myra looks up at Fernando. "Violence is never an answer."

"Well just fuck the answer, I'm going for vengeance."

Myra bites her lips and lets it pass.

 _He'll think wisely once he has calmed down._ Myra tries to assure herself.

CCO

Fernando walks around the compound, eyes scanning all the dark corridors. She never appeared during their English Literature lesson, she still hasn't answered any of his calls or reply his messages... It's getting late and not even her roommate have seen her.

He brings out his phone and tries to call her number one more time... he reaches her voice mailbox.

"Crap!" He curses, chucking his phone back in his pocket and ruffling his black hair in agony.

 _Where else does she usually spends her time at?_

He has no clue.

"Sneaking out late?"

Fernando spins around in a whirl to find his philosophy professor with his arms crossed across his chest.

 _The man who is responsible about this whole mess in the first place._

Fernando wants to punch him at the jaw. He really, really wants to.

"This... All of this is your fault!" He screams to the clueless professor.

"Mr. Wolt... I am not exactly sure how is this, whatever it is you mean by _this_ is my fault."

"You really just had to break her heart do you?"

A crease forms on Tobias's forehead. "Mr. Wolt, you've really lost me."

"Ever since she ran away from your class just now, I haven't seen her, Myra hasn't seen her, no one seems to have seen her!"

"And your point is?"

"Don't you see it?" His voice rises once more, hands flailing like a mad man. "It was because you berated her in class, you embarrassed her in front of the whole class-"

"It isn't my fault that she couldn't complete her assignm-"

"I'm not saying that!" Fernando snaps. "But the way you handled the problem, don't you even have a sense of mind to think that it will pressure her? Couldn't you spare some mercy and treat her like a normal student? She rarely smiles, she never laughs, she barely even talks ever since she met you! You, professor, you are abusing her!"

Blood drains down from his face, one word keeps on taunting him in his head.

 _Abusing... Abusing..._

 _Has he really been abusing her all this while?_

 _Is he really an abuser? Just like what his father once was?_

"And now it's getting late and none of us have seen her... Of course this is all your fault! What if something bad happened to her?!"

Tobias's whole body went rigid in fear.

 _Her... in danger..._

He's seen how badly it'll get if you place those three words in one sentence.

The next thing Fernando knows, his professor is scurrying down the corridor faster than he can ever go.

CCO

 _Is your heart that cold, Miss Prior? Then why don't you just write about how cold your heart is?_

 _But what might happen if A hates B so much that... he one day just might kill B because he wants to see her suffer?_

 _If let's say B stole A's heart away, and that is the reason why A hates B so much. How can A still have a heart then? Isn't his heart stolen?_

 _You want to know why I've changed? Why you don't know me anymore? Because, Miss Prior, I have moved on. You told me to._

 _Am I not right if I say that you have pushed away a person who had loved you with all his heart?_

 _Her breath starts to shorten by every passing minute and it became harder for her to control her emotions._

 _Why did she tell him to move on?_

 _Why did she say that she doesn't love him?_

 _Why did she say that she couldn't love him?_

Because she really does love him and can never move on.

But her words have been spoken and the tables have been turned.

She pushed him away from her life so now he's running away- with her heart in his hands.

She's only getting what she deserves.

CCO

Tobias marches up to the librarian, questioning him if he's seen a short blonde girl entering the library even before he reaches the librarian's counter. The librarian shakes his head a no and Tobias runs off towards the next place which pops into his mind.

 _The gardens..._

 _The last time she ran away from him, he found her hiding deep inside a garden._

CCO

Her breath morphs into short gasps as she tries harder and harder to cram in enough oxygen into her lungs as they screech in pain.

All the words her father and Tobias have told her about calming down have faded away from her mind.

 _She deserves this... She deserves this... She is the evil one in the fray. She is the one who broke his heart. She is only getting what she deserves..._

She only briefly registers how her body seems to lift off the ground as her mind starts to blank out.


	11. Chapter 11: Those Piercing Blue Eyes

**A/N: Hi :) I'll update once a week from now on. Happy new year, everyone!**

* * *

 **Manasi: Not yet. Tobias needs to realise what he's done before we can get to that ;)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

Fernando kicks the pebbles under his feet in agony. He's searched every nook and corner but Beatrice is still nowhere to be found. It's been hours since he lost his professor and Fernando doesn't even know if he is still looking for her.

 _Where in the world can she be?_

His phone rings from his pocket and he quickly snatches it out, relief floods over him when he reads the caller id.

"Beatrice you got me so worried. I-"

"It's Professor Eaton."

Fernando freezes in his speech.

"She's in the infirmary. You might want to hurry."

CCO

"Don't worry about it professor. Just a few days of rest and she'll be fine." The doctor informs a troubled Tobias as he still clutches on to the rails of her bed, head dropped low in guilt.

 _He did this to her, he triggered her asthma, he sent her into a panic attack._

The doctor said that she is lucky that he found her soon enough. If he was late, she might have died of asphyxiation

 _He might have ended up to never be able to see her curious blue eyes ever again. Those piercing blue eyes which have seen so much pain and torture, yet still kept on living._

But shouldn't he be happy if she ended up dead?

Shouldn't he be happy if this girl who played with his heart and stole it away suffers from such a painful death?

 _Is he evil yet?_

 _Is he evil for almost killing her?_

 _He is heartless, he abused her and he almost killed her... that should sum it up shouldn't it?_

The door to the infirmary slams open and a panting Fernando Wolt rushes in.

"Thank you... thank you so much profe-"

"She is my student, she is my responsibility. Save your thanks and take care of her until she gets better."

Fernando nods in silence and watches how his professor slowly tears himself away from Beatrice's bedside. His hand seems to inch towards her face but recoils back as quickly as it has approached.

Professor Eaton looks at him once more, pointing his index finger with a pair of squinted eyes. "No words about this at all." He warns. "I do not want rumours to spread that I take a personal affection towards my student."

Fernando nods twice, eyes following his retreating figure before he disappears through the old door. He turns back to look at his dear friend who is sleeping seemingly peacefully on the bed.

 _A personal affection towards my student...?_

 _Isn't saving her supposed to be part of his responsibility?_

Glancing back at the door, which he might have swung a little bit too harshly when he entered in a panic, he couldn't help but wonder just _who_ is Professor Eaton to Beatrice and Beatrice to Professor Eaton?

 _Am I not right that you have pushed away a person who had loved you with all his heart?_

CCO

Myra jumps to her phone the second it rings and presses the green button in a hurry. "Have you found her yet?"

"Yeah." Fernando replies to which Myra breathes a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness..." She breathes, slumping down on her bed. "How is she now?"

"Umm... She's fine. Just fainted."

Myra springs back up. "What?!"

"The doctor said that she just had an asthma attack which was most probably triggered by some kind of depression of some sort and fainted through it. He also said that she should be awake anytime soon so you shouldn't worry about it."

Myra bites her lips. "Where is she now, though?"

"She's in the infirmary, but the visiting hours are over so..."

Myra nods her head in understanding and a brief pause follows before another question pops up to her mind. "Where did you find her by the way?"

Fernando scratches the back of his neck. "Well... it wasn't me who found her."

"Then?" Myra questions, her forehead creasing in confusion.

"Err... another person found her. And he brought her to the infirmary. And he called me after that because my number was at the top of her calling directory."

"As long as she's fine." Myra breathes.

"Yeah... as long as she's fine..." Fernando replies.

Myra ends the call. Staring out of the cold window.

 _Fainted?_

 _Asthma attack?_

She is aware that Beatrice is asthmatic, but she wasn't aware that it is this bad...

 _Triggered some kind of depression of some sort..._

Why is Beatrice badly depressed by the professor's words? If anything, she should have been angry, not hurt and depressed. And from the way Fernando talks about Beatrice, she seems like the strong kind of person- despite the fact that she might have once broken down during the first night they met.

Huffing a breath of annoyance, Myra decides to brush the thought out of her head and plops down on her bed once again.

CCO

The tapping sound of a keyboard echoes loudly in the room in a consistent run.

Edward keeps on writing.

The tapping keyboard sound starts to march faster, like the sound of multiple applauses after a well-delivered speech.

Edward keeps on writing.

The tapping keyboard sound starts to storm louder, like the sound of the footsteps of an impending army of soldiers.

Edward breathes a sigh of irritation but keeps on writing.

The tapping keyboard sound starts to morph into random keyboard slamming, like the sound of a giant stomping his feet on the ground randomly with no reason or purpose.

Edward bangs his head on the table and tells Tobias to calm the shit down or leave the office because the bad vibe is really getting into him and Tobias would not want to watch him get angry.

Tobias fists his fingers and glares at the monitor screen- which is glaring brightly back at him.

He shuts his laptop screen with a bang and buries his head in the palms of his hands.

"Your ex... How did you get over her?" Tobias asks, voice lost and desperate.

Edward arches a brow at the candid question but smirks at it at the same time. He picks up his pen and resumes his writing. "I just stopped thinking about her."

Tobias scoffs. "That easy? Did you even loved her?"

A scowl from Edward is all the answer he gets.

"Have you ever hurt her?"

Edward's pen freezes and his eyes shifts to Tobias's.

"I hurt my ex." Tobias continues. "I hurt her emotionally and it affected her physically. And now I don't know what should I do."

Edward heaves a sigh and lays his pen down, placing his palms on the back of his head and leaning back. His eyes drop close as a brief flash of memory crosses his eyes.

"We fought one day." Edward tells Tobias. "We fought one day and it was the last time I saw her. I punched her in the face... hard. And even that didn't beat the look in her eyes. She was more than pained..."

"Why?" Tobias questions.

Edward lifts his head up and turns to look at the man in front of him.

"Because of my words, Eaton. I'm positive that you've heard of the term, tongues are sharper than knives."

Tobias pulls the ends of his hair in agony.

 _He hurt her with his words..._

 _And the pain in her eyes **did** pierce through his own... _

"If you had a chance, would you try to fix it?" Tobias asks his work mate, his eyes starting to glisten with tears.

"I think you should."

"But would you?"

Edward lays his head back again, staring up into the ceiling. "I don't know." Edward replies in one long heave of breath before picking up his pen again. "Now just shut up Eaton and let me complete my report in peace."

Tobias shakes his head and picks up his keys, leaving the room in silence- for once he is obeying the orders of his colleague who thinks that he's the king.


	12. Chapter 12: Listen to Your Heart

**A/N: So sorry for being a bit late, but I was out just now and have just returned an hour ago.**

 **I hope that this chapter doesn't bore you out because it is just generally filled with heart-to-heart talks and stuff like that. And it was actually very badly written and I am still not so happy with this product I am posting. I hope that the later chapters will turn out far better :) And there's definitely some happy fluffy things coming up in the next, next ones.**

 **Beatrice is quite jumpy (emotionally-wise) in this chapter. Do comment about it if you think that it is weird or un-Tris-like or anything because I really want to know what you guys think of it.**

 **I am considering of posting the next chapter tomorrow-tomorrow since these two are nicer read together, but we'll have to wait and see I guess ;)**

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 **Em: So far, he has only read her first essay and read partly through the first paragraph of her essay on happiness and love. But you'll see, he might read her future ones ;) About the apologising part... you'll also have to wait and see.**

 **Manasi: Oh yes. Those two are a real big puzzle. There're some big revelations in the coming chapter, but the whole story is definitely much more interesting.**

 **Divergentmaiac: Thanks and yes, I will be including those three inside my later chapters. In fact, Tobias will be having a phone call with Zeke in this one, Caleb will be calling Beatrice on the phone some chapters after this and Zeke will be texting Tobias while texting Shauna in some chapters after that. There will definitely be lots of Zeke-Tobias texting each other throughout the coming chapters since Tobias will be referring to him for all kinds of tips and things like that and there will be a big Caleb inclusion to the story in the last few chapters.**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

Bright light pierces through her eyelids, blinding her temporarily before she flutters them open and close.

Goodness, the light is killing her.

Beatrice clamps her hands on her eyes when a familiar ring of laughter reaches her ears. A set of doors creak open and she quickly lifts her head to find her black haired companion walking into the room with his phone pressed to his ear. He looks up at her with surprise. She looks around the room with a frown.

"Oh, I've got to go. Will catch up with you later bro." Fernando ends the call and rushes up her bedside, pulling a chair for him to sit on.

"You've finally woken up... I was quite worried that you never will."

Beatrice looks at him quizzically. "What... exactly happened?"

"You fell unconscious." He simply states. "And we were quite worried that you will never wake up."

 _Unconscious? Beatrice asks herself. "But how… where… what?"_ Beatrice asks herself. "But how… where… what?"

Fernando bites the tip of his tongue and frowns at Beatrice. "You don't remember anything don't you?"

Beatrice shakes her head.

Fernando heaves a sigh. "You had a fight with Professor Eaton. And he told you to leave the class since you can't even complete an essay about love. And so you left. And you did not appear ever since then and it was getting late and I got worried." Fernando bites his tongue as he continues, "We found you an hour later."

Beatrice scowls as the memory starts to crawl its way back to her.

This was not supposed to happen. No one is supposed to find her there. Not even Tobias should be concerned enough to find her.

But why does she wants to kill herself?

Is she that weak?

Is she that stupid?

All these years, she has been training herself to be much stronger, yet she is still allowing him to control her emotions this way?

A new spark of fire snaps in her eyes and she throws the covers off of her body. Fernando gapes at Beatrice when she picks up her phone from the bedside drawer and crouches down to look for her boots.

"What... what are you doing?"

"Going back to my dorms."

Fernando pulls her back in protest and pushes her down onto her bed. "You need to lie down, Beatrice. The doctor said so."

"For goodness' sake Fernando, I just had an asthma attack, I've had it before, I know how to handle it."

"Well the doctor told me that you aren't fine just yet and if you _do_ know how to handle it then you wouldn't have ended up unconscious now would you?"

Bubbles of anger start to rise up. She _does_ know how to handle her asthma attacks and she doesn't need to be told what to do. It was just her panic attack which made things worse.

She pulls the worn-out boots up her feet.

It is all _his_ fault that she can't handle it well.

 _And it was her fault for causing him to make her be that way?_

No. She couldn't let herself become weak again. She has to be stronger. If he's moved on...

A lump starts to grow in her throat as she runs towards her dorms, hoping that Fernando won't tail after her.

 _If he's moved on..._

She bumps into Myra just as she is about to unlock the door who looks at her in surprise.

"Beatrice!" She cheers, pulling her friend into a hug- Beatrice pulls herself away and run towards her desk. She pulls out the book she's been reading again and again that she's probably memorised every sentence of it... The Secret Love Letter.

 _If he's moved on..._

"You remember mentioning that your sister's birthday is in December and she really loves reading books but you couldn't afford to buy one?"

Myra nods, face still etched with confusion at Beatrice's weird attitude.

"You can give her this. I... I took a good care of it since I loved it, but I think you can have it. Your sister would appreciate it better than I do."

"You're sure about this Beatrice?" Myra asks with wide, shocked eyes- recognising the book which fell from her bed during their first meeting.

 _No. I'm not sure about this._ Her heart whispers, pleading her lips to repeat the words it whispered... pleading her hands to hold on to the book...

"Yes. I'm sure about it." Her lips smile.

 _I have to learn to let go too._

Myra bites her lower lip harshly, trying to read the look on Beatrice's face.

"Beatrice... what happened?"

 _I need to let go._

 _I **need** to let go. _

**_I need to let go!_**

Beatrice rips the blue scarf from her neck as the words still scream in her head.

She needs to let go.

But why is it so hard?

She needs to let go.

But why is heart still refusing to do so?

 _Because you love him._

Beatrice fists her hair, pulling them hard as she hopes that the pain can overcome the ache in her heart.

Of course she knows that she loves him. That is exactly why she should move on- why she has to forget about him.

But it is so hard for her to forget about him when his smile and his eyes are still haunting her mind every-freaking-day. How she had to spray her blue scarf with a certain perfume she's spent months trying to find just because she couldn't live through a day without that musky scent comforting her and telling her that everything is alright. How she has to read that book every time she dreams of that very same man telling her that he's moved on just like she told him to just because she needs to convince herself that the flowers he gave her and the words he spoke that night under the willow tree is still what he really feels deep down.

 _That is because it is the truth. He still loves you very much._

"No!" She screams, clamping, her palms on her ears and shaking her head violently. "No he doesn't!"

He told her that.

He proved it to her.

He's shown it to her.

He really has moved on.

Her knees buckle as her chest heaves before a strong cough shakes her body.

Myra runs towards Beatrice's side table drawer, fetching the blue inhaler and passing it to her friend who shakes her head defiantly. The short brunette breaths a long sigh, kneeling down beside Beatrice to hold her hands- Beatrice pulls them back.

"My mom told me that the best way to release your stress is to talk," She speaks out in a quiet voice. "Maybe you'd like to talk about it?"

 _"Why don't you talk to me about it?"_ His voice echoes in her head and all that she can afford to do is to shake her head again and again.

 _"Tris talk to me Tris, please."_

"Aargh! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

Myra bites her lips, fidgeting with her fingers as she stares alternatively between the inhaler in her hand and its owner.

"Come on, Beatrice... It is fine if you do not want to talk about it. Just use this," Myra whispers, handing the inhaler at Beatrice once more. "It's for your own good."

 _"I bought an inhaler for you and placed it on your bedside table drawer just in case you get an asthma attack in the night."_

Beatrice shakes her head, pushing the inhaler away. "I'm fine. It was just a cough."

Myra slumps her shoulders, placing the inhaler beside Beatrice and leaves her alone as she stares out of the window, lone tear rolls down her cheek.

She's lost her family in one night yet why does it feel as if her heart has never felt so much pain?

She's been stripped off her dignity yet why does it feel as if this is even more torturing?

She's gone through so much worse yet why does this still feel like the hardest?

Beatrice can never understand.

 _Love is a serious mental disease..._

CCO

His phone vibrates in the pockets of his jeans and Tobias places his food aside, bringing out the phone and pressing it to his ear.

"Eaton."

"Yo mate!"

Tobias pulls the phone five inches away from his ear.

"How's your two weeks in teaching going? Sucky, crappy, or surprisingly good?"

The muscles of his jaws prickle at the sound of his voice. "You're going to get killed, Ezekiel."

"What?!"

"Yeah, for sending me in this mess."

Zeke bites his tongue. "I don't understand what you're getting-

"You don't understand?" He questions, voice low, calm and deceptive like the eerie silence before a thunder makes its strike. "You don't understand? Come on, Ezekiel. She is the twin sister of your girlfriend and you were staying at their house a few months back. You know she now lives in Cincinnati and not in Chicago and you probably also know that she would be studying here and you definitely purposely signed me up for this right?"

Zeke only replies with one single word. A single drawling, "yeah...".

But the light amusement in his voice sends Tobias to the edge.

"Is this some kind of sick joke to you? Do you think that all this while, I was just over-reacting when I tried to distance myself away from her? I did it all for a reason, Zeke. I did it all because even though deep inside those eyes, I swear that I've seen love in them, she will forever refuse to give it to me, Zeke! Do you know the pain I feel when she's acting so... ignorant about it?"

"Mate..."

"Zeke, just stop playing cupid will you? Bringing me out on blind dates with some 'promising chicks' you've found ever since we got to Princeton, you've done enough. Just..." His voice starts to crack. "Just stop with games, please."

Zeke rubs his temple with his forefingers ."Tobias..." He starts, briefly closing his eyes, anticipating the worst. "What happened? How bad was it?"

"Immensely bad."

Zeke gulps.

"You want to know what happened Zeke? When I first found out that she is my student, when I first realised that I have so much power over her, I became a maniac. All I felt for her was anger. Anger and hatred. I felt like I could show her just how well I can live on without her. That I am so much happier living a life without her.. And most of all, Zeke... Most of all I felt like I needed to show her just how much she's missed by rejecting and neglecting the feelings her own heart feels."

Tobias pulls in a deep breath, pushing himself away from his chair to lie down on his bed, an arm draped across his damp eyes. "And so I did it. I did them all. I taunted her, I mocked her, I ridiculed her and you know what? I felt so powerful doing all of them. I felt so, so... empowered when I made her heart break again and again. And you want to know how bad it went?"

A strangled sob escapes his lips. He presses them together to hold back the rest of the sob.

"I almost killed her Zeke. She got so depressed over how I treated her that she almost carelessly killed herself because of what I said."

Zeke has expected them to get on a rocky start at the beginning of their meeting. He knows just how stubborn the two of them can be. But he also thought that Tobias won't be able to hold back his feelings for Tris. He thought that Tobias and Tris would somehow romantically end up on a balcony to confess their love for each other two weeks through their 'accidental meeting'.

What he didn't think of is how vengeful Tobias actually is and what he totally forgot was how Tobias is never a person who you'd call rational. His emotions are always stronger than his rationality. And now Tobias has really messed things up that Zeke is not sure if they'd ever be able to rebuild their fallen relationship.

"Dude..." He finally speaks. "You... You-"

"Messed things up?" Tobias asks. "Do you really have to say that? Obviously I can see I messed things up! Obviously I can see that I messed everything up so bad that I don't know what should I do any longer. I didn't think that it will drive her insane, Zeke. I somehow placed it in my head that she said that she doesn't love me and so she shouldn't be affected by my words."

"Tobias, don't lie to me or your heart. We all know that deep inside you, you know that she still loves you and is just scared to admit it."

A tear slips from his eye, rolling down from the side of his face and into his brown locks.

He doesn't bother to wipe it away.

He doesn't bother to wipe it nor the rest of the tears which flows out in a steady stream.

This time, he doesn't bother to reprimand himself for crying. For this time, he is not crying for her, he is crying for his own heart. His breaking, breaking heart which he isn't even sure if it is still there in his chest any longer after what he has done to the love of his life.

He was so angry at her for neglecting her feelings... he did the same thing to himself.

He was so busy punishing her for neglecting her own feelings... he is being punished right now.

She blew out the fire of their relationship... he picked up all the logs and lighters and matchsticks in the world and threw them away- effectively preventing them from ever being able to light up the fire again.

Another sob escapes his lips and he clamps his fist to his mouth, hoping that Zeke can't hear him breaking down.

"Dude..."

"I don't know, Zeke!" He cries, ignoring his intentions of hiding his feelings. "I don't know what else should I do. I treated her as if I don't love her. But Zeke... I couldn't, I can't and I'm not sure if I ever will be able to not love her. She's my soul, my heart, she helped me through so many things in my life. She gave me the strength to forgive my father. She gave me the strength to accept my mom's death. She is my everything and my everyone- my soul mate, my conscience, my lover... I just can't live without her, Zeke."

"Then don't," Zeke tells, strict and sure.

"What?"

"Then don't," He repeats once more. "Then don't live without her. If you still love her, if you still care for her, if you still want to spend the rest of your life with her, then you have to find a way to fix it."

Tobias bites his lower lip, lost and confused. _Oh how he wishes it is that easy to fix it._ "How Zeke, how? It isn't just illogical it is impossible. I'm her lecturer for goodness sake!"

Zeke pulls in a deep breath, clenching his jaws and wondering just how will he ever be able to convince his friend to keep on trying.

"By listening to your heart Tobias. Follow your instincts and listen to your heart. You'll know what to do."

"And if it still doesn't work out?"

Zeke smirks. "We'll have to be there first to see. We try and we fall… that's part of life. And that is how it is supposed to work. We fall so we can detect each other's weaknesses and find a way to strengthen them. We fall so we can learn to love and appreciate each other much more."

"I don't know..."

"Try. Just try first and see."


	13. Chapter 13: Forgetting is Never the Way

**A/N: Hi ^^ This will be the last filler-ish chapter before we get on to the happier and lighter stuff. That is a promise :)**

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 **Indigo Girl996: Don't worry, the melancholic vibe will be more or less gone in the coming chapters :)**

 **Hope: :) Glad that you like it. This chapter will be the last one to come out on a Wednesday for a while. My chapters will come out every Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday from now on. Except of course, if I feel really excited and I just need to update sooner than I should :D**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

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"She's not going to eat is she?" Fernando asks Myra as she approaches him.

Myra shakes her head a no and they both walk towards the cafeteria for dinner in silence.

"Did she say anything?" Fernando asks, picking at the grains on his bread.

Myra shakes her head once more and again, they fall into a deep silence.

"Do you think that she's heartbroken?"

Myra immediately looks up at Fernando's suggestion. "Why?"

Fernando shrugs. "Just... I have been thinking... And with all that her sister has been telling me, I think... I think that maybe she's heartbroken."

Myra bites her lower lip in thought.

 _Well she can clearly see the signs of a heartbroken person in Beatrice's attitude._

"In fact, it must have been something really bad to depress her as much as she is now."

"Wait..." Myra speaks, holding her hand up to Fernando. "Are you suggesting that the reason as to why she fainted yesterday has nothing to do with Professor Eaton and is all about her broken heart?"

"Well..." Fernando taps the tips of his fingers on the wooden table as he contemplates on whether he should tell her what he thinks. "I'm not saying that it has _nothing_ to do with Professor Eaton."

Myra scratches her head in total lost. "Then?" She queries with a tone of impatience.

"Well... what if it has something to do with the both of them? What if the both of them are interrelated with each other?"

Fernando watches nervously as Myra tries to crunch up the clues he's feeding her until slowly, the light starts to flicker on in her eyes.

"You mean... No you couldn't mean that can you?" Myra questions.

Fernando shrugs his shoulders, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.

"Why not? The way he picks on her, the way he pressures her about love... And how he was able to find Beatrice in less than five minutes... They must have known each other pretty well."

Her eyes go wide. " _He_ was the one who found her?"

Fernando freezes, his mouth open wide as he is about to take a bite of the sandwich in his hands. He gulps, but nods.

Myra bites her lower lip which has started to tear open slightly under her frequent abuse.

"But... Don't you guys come from the same place? Like, aren't you guys neighbours or something?" Myra asks Fernando. "Surely you would've known if she has been dating or something."

"She actually just moved in around November or December last year and she has already been a bit... detached ever since then."

Myra sighs and scratches her head in agitation.

"I don't know." Is her conclusion.

CCO

Myra stares at the blonde girl who is still lying in her bed despite the fact that they only have two hours left before their first lesson of the week begins.

 _Should she ask her about her broken heart?_

 _About whether or not she is broken hearted in the first place?_

"Beatrice... I know that we've only met for about two weeks, but I'm really worried about you right now... It's not healthy. _Believe me Beatrice, I know."_

Beatrice shifts slightly but stays put.

Myra bites her lips, staring at the view outside of their room through their large window.

"A few years back, there is this guy who I met. He was tall and really well built. Like a soldier. And he was brave. Also like a soldier."

Beatrice perks her ears in interest at Myra's story.

"I liked him... but he was too old for me. He was nine years older. And he was a very... wild person. Wild and rough and could never live for a week without ending up in at least one physical fight. So wild that I nicknamed him Mayhem. And growing up with a hippie grandfather, I was never comfortable with his violent tendencies. But still... I liked him and he liked me too- well at least that was what he said."

Beatrice turns around to face her friend.

"We dated for a few months. And I'll say that those few months were the best times of my life." A smile creeps onto Myra's face. "He'll buy me chocolate chip cookies every Saturday because they're my favourites. And he'll also buy new books for my younger sister because he knows how financially poor we are and just how much she loves to read- and also just how much I love my sister.

He'll always bring me to this Chinese restaurant downtown for dinner." A lone tear slips down her cheeks and Beatrice untangles herself from her covers, moving to sit beside Myra.

"One day?" Beatrice questions, knowing that that line will come.

"One day... as we were leaving that restaurant, when he was about to unlock his car, he realised that he left his car keys in the restaurant and he told me to wait outside while he goes in to fetch them. And so I waited."

"But then?"

"But then... a guy approached me. Asked something about some directions to go to some street nearby... And while I was helping him... he... he stuffed this awfully smelling thing at my nose and my mouth... I... woke up in a hospital next."

Beatrice can't help herself from shuddering when she detects the eerie similarities between what happened to Myra and what has happened to herself.

"Tell me nothing happened to you." She pleads out loud, deflating when she notices the tears in Myra's eyes.

"But that's not the thing I wanted to talk about." Myra cries out, furiously wiping her tears away from her eyes. "The thing is... after that incident, the newspaper were all reporting about a dead man who was found behind the Chinese restaurant. I asked my... my ex about it. And he... he said that he was the one who killed the man. That when he found me, there were three other men with me... And that he killed one of them while the other two ran away.

And I scolded him.

I scolded him because I was angry because he shouldn't have killed him. That whatever sin the guy has committed, he shouldn't have just killed that man. He... he accused me of being ungrateful... and later suggested that maybe I willingly gave myself to the man and that is the reason why I was so concerned about his death... and of course I got furious.

And I... I slapped him. And he punched me back. Said that he regrets ever spending time with a... a person like me. Said that I was doing it all for money and attention. Said that I am a pathetic whore. And he left me... just like that. Next thing I know, he was trialled for manslaughter."

"Was he found guilty?"

Myra sniffs, tears already spilling from her eyes in a rapid stream. "Yes. It was even revealed that his family has been linked to a lot of crime records. But as it always happens in their family, he was also bailed out."

"Bailed out?"

Myra nods with a shiver. "There's always someone out there who is ready to bail him or other members of his family out- that was what I gathered through the papers I come across. And the identities of the people who bailed them are always kept incognito."

Beatrice holds back a shudder.

At least Al is still in prison.

Last time she checked.

 _But there's always someone to bail them out._

But he isn't a part of _their family_ is he?

Well at least Tobias never killed Al.

At least Tobias did not have to end up in a prison like this Mayhem.

At least the Eaton name isn't tainted with crime records.

But should she care?

Why should she care?

Isn't she supposed to forget about him?

And forgetting definitely does not consist of feeling thankful for how his life is not screwed up.

Is she really trying to forget him and all of the things which has happened between them?

Beatrice jumps when Myra suddenly sniffs a breath, holding in a hiccup. "And I am not so sure what happened after that. I mean, I tried to forget about him..."

 _She tried to forget about him..._

 _Just like what I am trying to do now._

"But did you?" Beatrice queries. "Did you manage to forget him?"

Myra lets out a shaky laugh. "If I have, I wouldn't be crying now would I?"

 _Oh..._

Beatrice stays silent.

"This... man... bothering your thoughts..." Myra whispers, "He is Professor Eaton, isn't he?"

Her teeth instinctively bite into her lower lip and she looks away from Myra's prying eyes.

 _Bothering my thoughts is an understatement._

 _He bothers my sleep, my emotions..._

 _He fucks up my whole concept of rationality._

"But you know what Beatrice? I managed to live without him for four years. And I'm still doing fine now."

Beatrice laughs dryly. "I managed to do that for a year before he had to pop up into my life again."

"My point is Beatrice, you don't have to forget. It's not how you let go. The key to letting go is forgiving. You shouldn't forget all these incidents you've landed on and the storms you've survived from. Life experiences are what makes you wiser."

"Like what?" Beatrice snaps. "Remembering how I rejected a guy I didn't realise that I was falling for because I was too afraid to lose him once we've gotten too close together... remembering how I swam away from the lost depths of his oceans in fear that I'll never be able to do so once I sink in deeper... remembering how I was so foolish for pushing a sincere man who has done nothing but helping me through thick and thin is supposed to make me wise?"

"Yes."

Beatrice blinks.

"Yes, it is supposed to make you wiser."

"What..."

"If you pick up lessons from it and **remember** to not repeat them next time... doesn't that makes you wiser?"

Beatrice fists her hands, her thumb stroking firmly on the other fingers.

"What lessons did _you_ pick up from your past relationship?"

Myra offers a small smile. "I learn that when my parents warn me of something, I really should give it a listen. I learn that I should not look past his flaws just because he said that he loved me. And I learn that I should not be overly obsessed on something that I am willing to do all the foolish things just to fulfil my obsession despite the warning signs flashing at me."

Beatrice bites harsher into her lower lip. "And what do you think about my relationship?"

Myra just shrugs. "I'm not in the place to tell. I barely know him and I barely know you- I can't just judge you guys or assume what happened between you. But I think, if you _are_ to get back together, or maybe start a new relationship with someone else, you should remember what you have done wrong last time and try to see if you can fix them." Myra fidgets with her fingernails. "I heard that trust is one of the biggest factors of broken relationships."

Beatrice furrows her eyebrows. "Was _your_ relationship broken because of trust?"

Myra shrugs. "He accused me of things which I will never do. I guess you can say that he did not trust me."

 _Did Tobias not trust her?_

 _Did she not trust Tobias?_

Myra lets out a loud sigh and pats Beatrice on her shoulder once. "Think about it." She tells her, standing up to make her way to the bathroom for her morning shower. Just as she turns the doorknob, Myra glances over her shoulder with a small smile. "Forgetting is never the way."

Beatrice can't contain the small smile which creeps onto her face when she remembers a very similar advice given to her a year ago- it just came out from a different pair of lips.

 _Forgetting is never the way._

 _She just has to forgive him, forgive herself..._

 _If it is meant to be, fate will find his way to put them back together._

 _If it isn't, then it just isn't._

 _It is neither his nor her fault._

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 **P/S: The advice came out from Shauna's lips last year.**


	14. Chapter 14: Being Professional

**A/N: Longest chapter so far :D Here, we'll see a change of wind and all...**

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 **Divergentmaniac: I actually wrote that Tobias's breakdown scene at a hotel lobby. And since I was really trying hard to deliver as much and as precise emotions as possible, I read the whole thing out loud. I realised later on that there was this one bellman who kept on coming close to where I was typing and tried to catch a glimpse of what was written on my laptop screen.**

 **I find your comment on tough people breaking down and Tobias being a tough guy very... triggering. Like it triggers something in my mind to write a whole lengthy post about it which I would have typed here if I have the time which I unfortunately don't and so I think that I'll write it up on my Tumblr some free days.**

 **Thanks for the review! It's always nice to receive a very reflective feedback :)**

 **Hope: Thank you so much! I hope that I won't disappoint you with how the story turns out. If you ever find something which you aren't satisfied with in this story, don't be shy and do voice it out!**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

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"Enough of this... melancholic vibe." Myra suddenly proclaims, jumping off her bed and running up towards Beatrice.

Beatrice scowls at Myra before she turns back to her desk.

 _I am not melancholic!_

She crumples up the paper in front of her and throws it aside, bringing out a new piece of paper and scratching it with her pen.

 _I am just... panicking! My article is still sounding like a piece of trash and it's due in three hours! I have to submit this article because I really do need to get a good grade at the end of the year to earn a scholarship._

"Let's make pancakes!" Myra cheers, dancing around the room.

The pen stills. Beatrice whirls her chair around to face Myra, forehead creased deeply. "Why pancakes?"

Myra runs to her bag and pulls out a piece of paper- a recipe... to make pancakes. "Because I photocopied this from the library and I am quite sure that we have some flour and eggs and all those stuff in the kitchenette downstairs."

"So... we should make pancakes?"

"Mhmm." She hums, nodding her head with a bright smile.

"Haven't you ever fried pancakes before?"

Myra bites her lower lip. "Well... no."

"But... you're sure that you can fry these?"

Myra shrugs her shoulders.

Beatrice shakes her head, a small smile fighting its way onto her lips.

"Alright." She sighs, flipping through her rough drafts to look for the best version out of the heap of crumpled papers. "I'll get down in a while. Don't wait for me."

Beatrice regrets saying that though.

For when she reaches the kitchenette, there are only a small amount of pancake batter which haven't been fried yet- the rest of them have fallen victim to Myra's awful frying skills.

With the amount of smoke flocking in the kitchenette from the stove, Beatrice is amazed that the fire alarm hasn't screeched.

CCO

Light and happy chatters reach Tobias's ears and he immediately looks up to the door of the study hall. Relief washes over him when he sees the short blonde girl entering the room, back at the pink of health as she listens to her friend laughing over some kitchen accident.

"Next time, I'm just going to heat the milk while you make all the pancakes." Her companion says to which she shakes her head lightly, probably internally laughing as her lips curl up into a small smile and her eyes start to twinkle.

 _Oh yes... She definitely makes the best pancakes._

The twinkle in her eyes are dim and barely there, but he can definitely see it. He has never realised it, but seeing them now, Tobias realises that he has deeply missed that bright twinkle which always shines brighter whenever she laughs. He remembers trying to make her laugh as often as he could when they were in Chicago, just so that he can see that twinkle which always reminds him of the brightest star on the night sky.

Her gaze flickers to his-

He looks back down to his notepad.

Beatrice feels a tug on her forearm and she turns to look at her side.

"Do you think he'll be in the good or the bad mood?" Myra whispers in question.

Beatrice chews into the inside of her cheeks.

 _Should she submit her article now or should she wait for him to ask for it?_

 _Maybe he will forget all about it and she won't have to submit her embarrassingly bad article- not to mention the fact that it is all crumpled up._

She shakes the ridiculous idea out of her head and excuses herself from Myra just as they reach their seats.

"Where are you going?" Myra asks.

Beatrice tilts her head towards the direction of the professor and waves the article in her hand. "I need to pass this up. It'll just be a moment."

Myra gives her a hesitant look, but Beatrice assures her that she'll be fine with a small smile.

One step down the hall, Beatrice straightens her back.

 _She mustn't be afraid of him for he can't make her weak._

Another step down the hall, Beatrice squares her shoulders.

 _He can try to make her believe in what he says, but at the end of the day, it is **she who controls** her own thoughts- her own believes- her own emotions. _

Another step down the hall, Beatrice lifts her chin up.

 _And to do that, she has to push away all those past incidents and forgive both him and herself._

 _Start anew. A fresh and clean student-professor relationship._

Tobias can already tell who those little footsteps belong to even before he looks up as that particular sweet yet spicy scent grows stronger and stronger with each thread of her steps. The footsteps stop and he looks up to find her standing right in front of his desk, staring at him with piercing blue eyes.

He might be imagining it, or he might have remembered them wrong, but up close, her eyes seem brighter than what he has in mind. What he remembers is a greyish pair of blue eyes, lost and confused as she was thrown into such a bizarre world. This one seems much more confident... and dauntless...

Just like Orion.

There's fire in her eyes that many may overlook. But it's blazing, and it's ready to bring you down in a single blow.

And he can't help himself from finding them hot.

"Excuse me, Professor Eaton."

Tobias mentally knocks his head to the wall for getting distracted, though physically, he only blinks his eyes before nodding once, urging for her to speak.

"My assignment," She says, placing a piece of paper on his table.

He sports a quizzical look at its crumpled state, but nods in approval at any rate.

Instead of heading back to her seat though, she stays put, biting her lower lip in thought.

"Is something the matter, Miss Prior?" He asks.

She looks down for a moment, recollecting her thoughts... or whatever it is she is doing before she lifts her head up and looks straight into his eyes.

His deep blue ones itch to look away.

"I'd just like to say sorry for my immature behaviour in my previous classes. I'll try to be more... respectful, if that's the word, but I do hope that in return, you'd be much more professional towards us."

Tobias tilts his head to one side, flipping his book close and laying his elbows on the table, one cheek resting on his fists.

Beatrice finds it cute.

"You mean?" He asks.

"Well, I'd hate to accuse, but it seems like you are letting your emotions control you too much. Like when you're in class.. It's like you'll berate us all when you're angry and.. you know? It's not professional..." She shifts her position, resting her weight on one leg and crossing her arms across her chest. "I mean that by being professional, you shouldn't let your personal matters mingle with your career and like... whatever happens in, in..."

Tobias quirks an eyebrow. "In?" He queries.

"In... Well, outside the university should stay outside the university. And whatever happens in the university should stay in the university."

He takes in a deep breath, lifting his chin from his fist and leaning his body forward.

She takes a step back.

"You mean to say, let whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas and I shouldn't let my emotions judge my actions?"

She nods once.

"But if that personal matter happens in the university?"

"Well... no matter wherever it happened you just shouldn't mix your personal matters with your professional ones."

 _Maybe he can redeem himself by being more... professional?_

The thought lifts his lips up into a genuine smile which he hasn't worn for more than a whole year.

Beatrice feels her heart flutter, flying up high, reaching for her throat...

She shoves it back down.

"Thank you for the enlightenment then," He tells her. "I'll be sure to keep it in mind."

She smiles a little before walking back towards her friend- a little bounce springing in her steps, he notices.

CCO

 _Love is a serious mental disease._

 _Intoxicating, addicting... probably is the unbecoming of oneself. Once you've fallen for a person, there never is a step back, a way out. The scariest part about love is when you lay your heart in their hands, entrusting them to care for it and treat it well. You let down your guards and show them exactly who you are. Your fears, your weaknesses... they know it all._

A few angry lines cross out the next few sentences that Tobias has to squint his eyes to read what was written next.

 _But what is worse? It is when you have no clue if they actually love you back. If when they say that they love you and kiss you and seem to care for you so much are all pretences. For when they leave you alone for some other much better place, to spend their time with other much more deserving people, it'll drive the strongest of man mad and broken._

He heaves a long sigh, rubbing his forefingers on his forehead.

Why is it so hard for her to get the fact that he loves her with all his heart into that pretty, stubborn head of hers?

 _When they leave you alone for some other much better place, to spend their time with other much more deserving people..._

 _She_ was the one who left him. Not the other way round!

Chucking the assignment to the back of his desk, Tobias messes with his hair, wondering just what will and should he do with his student.

CCO

"So what did Professor Eaton say about your essay?"

Beatrice shrugs her shoulders. "He didn't say anything about it." She replies as she leans against the window, trying to find as many stars as she can against the loud city lights, then adds, "Haven't yet at least."

Myra frowns from her bed. "Not even about its crumpled state?"

She shakes her head.

Its crumpled state is the least thing Beatrice is concerned about, but rather what he will think of her opinion on love.

 _Will it just convince him that her heart is as cold as he thinks?_

 _Will it just make him think that she is unable to love another soul?_

 _Or will he finally see the reason behind why was it so hard for her to accept his love?_

 _Can her short essay actually serve as a secret letter sent for his heart to read?_

 _Can her short essay convince him that she never meant to break his heart?_

 _Can her short essay make him realise that it is still him who she loves?_

Beatrice ends up heaving a frustrated sigh and plops herself on her head, face pressed to her pillow.

CCO

Edward throws a curious glance at his colleague when he enters their office.

"You're in early..." He says, throwing his suitcase onto his desk and setting down his steaming cup of coffee, fuelling up the angry bugs in Tobias's stomach.

"I couldn't sleep."

"That's obvious." Edward replies, eyeing the bags under Tobias's eyes. "Go and freshen up or something dude. It's not good for you."

Tobias wipes the palms of his hands on his face repeatedly, trying to wipe the agony in him away.

"Mayhem," Tobias calls for his office-mate.

"Yeah?"

"I have this student... She is bright... she may not be the person who will sweep all the academic awards at the end of the year, but she definitely is highly intellectual."

"And you like her?"

Edward smirks from his desk, when he notices how Tobias starts to panic and deny it in a jumble of "What!" and "No!" and "Honestly!". He takes in a small sip of his hot coffee, enjoying how his work mate is still trying to defend himself and deny the truth.

"Then what is it, Eaton?" He finally asks, deciding that he better get Tobias to say whatever it is which he wants to say so that he can shoo the man out of the office, telling him that he should get something to eat for breakfast or something while _he_ gets some important things done.

"Well... the problem is that she is holding herself back. She has too many things playing with her mind, telling her that she shouldn't do this and that, making her paranoid of following what her heart says."

Edward cocks an eyebrow. "And what does that have anything to do with her studies or you?"

Tobias bites the insides of his lower lip. "It turns her articles into a confused mess of ideas."

Edward sports a frown, asking Tobias to give him a sample so he can understand what kind of 'confused mess of ideas' is he talking about.

Hesitantly, Tobias places the article which has been taunting his mind all night on Edward's desk, frowning when Edward creases his forehead and gives him a quizzical look. "I don't see your point. Other than the fact that it is very short and has ten thousand lines crossing out half of what is written, I don't see what do you mean by messy and holding herself back."

A sly spark flickers in Edward's eyes- Tobias clenches his jaw at the sight of them. "Except of course if you know her personally or something. That way, you will know what her actual opinion on love is and if she is not voicing her honest opinion on the paper."

Tobias crosses his legs and arms. "Come on Mayhem, you know that lecturers are not supposed to have a personal relationship with their students."

Edward smirks at his stance and takes another sip of his coffee, a long one this time. "I said if."

Tobias shakes his head, snatching the paper from Edward's hand and turning back to his table.

He really hates looking into those eyes when they are sly and mischievous.

"But Eaton, if you really think that she can do better if given the right aid, maybe you can sign her up for some tuitions? Or better yet, maybe you yourself can give her some additional classes? You can always find some time to spare after the sun sets and when both of you are free."

 _Him giving her additional classes after the sun sets?..._

They'll never be able to learn anything except for new constellations if they spend time together _after the sun sets..._

"Whatever it is Eaton, don't fret over it too much. Go and get yourself something to eat and a good shower. You look so worn out I won't think twice before believing it if someone said that you didn't sleep at all last night."

Tobias scowls at Edward's words, picking up his blue beanie and pulling it down onto his head.

"I _did_ sleep last night," He mutters to himself as he leaves the room.

"Stupid Bearcats," He grumbles.

CCO

Beatrice scowls at the so-called Marinara Sauce in her plate with disgust.

"This is more like ketchup with salt and water and random herbs or something." She mutters to herself, deciding that she should just eat the gnocchi on its own if this is how bad the sauce is.

"Well, you can't really expect everyone else to be as good as you are in cooking now can you?"

Her head shoots up at the sound of the voice, her eyes going wide and her heart beating fast.

The man in front of her seems to be contemplating something before he takes a hold of the chair on the opposite side of her.

"May I...?" Professor Eaton asks, eyeing the vacant seat.

Beatrice finds herself nodding her head once, slowly, hesitantly.

He, however doesn't seem to be fazed by her nervousness, pulling the seat for himself and picking up his spoon and fork to dig into his... fried spaghetti kind of thing with an excited smile. When he takes a mouthful of it though, his nose immediately scrunches up in distaste as he forces everything in his mouth down his throat.

"You know what?" He asks, wiping his mouth with a clean napkin. "I'll rephrase my words, it is right for you to expect the cooks here to be as good as you are or at least much better than this... right now... I'm not even sure if you can call it food." He shakes his head, taking a sip of his drink. "I don't even know what kind of taste were they aiming for when they cook these."

Beatrice finds herself smiling a little at his antics. She can't deny it, she misses them...

 _This_ is Tobias.

He shifts his gaze to look at her eyes. "So Miss Prior,"

 _Oh... He's still going with that name is he?_

 _Well duh, he's your professor._

"I read your article..."

 _Piece of crumpled trash... with subliminal messages she hoped he finds, but, now, perhaps, maybe, let's hope he did not._

"And... I still think that you have a little bit of a problem in writing."

 _Well duh._

"Like last time, you wrote well. And if that article was submitted for an English class, you'd probably ace it. However, in a Philosophy class, it isn't the tenses and vocabularies and all those things which we look for. What we are looking for is the content itself and how well-delivered it is."

Beatrice holds up a hand. "Hold a second." She speaks, for the first time since he took his seat in front of her.

A flock of butterflies dances happily inside Tobias at the sound of her voice.

He orders them to stop.

"Are you going with that whole I'm not writing my heart out thing? Because I'm pretty sure I meant what I wrote in that one."

"Well, I can't say if you really wrote your heart out since I myself am starting to get confused with what exactly does your heart wants to say or what the topic ever meant to you." He bites his tongue after saying the last few words. Hoping that she doesn't take it personally before he resumes. "But clearly, evidently, you were doubting what you wrote in there. You crossed out most of what you have written down, meaning that you are probably not comfortable with what you expressed."

Beatrice frowns, not quite getting what her professor is trying to tell her.

So what if she crossed out some lines? They were badly written.

 _Though maybe she does not want him to read some of the things she wrote down?_

"Professor, I crossed them out because they were badly written and unnecessary."

"No. I think you crossed them out because you feared that what you have written down would be taken note of by whoever who reads it, me in this case."

The frown on her lips deepen. " _So what_ if they are taken note of?"

"I don't know. You have to ask that to yourself. Maybe you fear people knowing who you really are and what means most to you? Maybe, like you yourself wrote in that article, you are afraid to let people know who you truly are for they will find out your weaknesses."

Beatrice fidgets with her fingers under the table- away from his sight.

Tobias waits for a reaction from her. A nod, a shake of her head, a yes, a no... just anything really. But she just stares blankly at him as if he didn't just criticise her writing. Tobias chews into the insides of his cheeks, crosses his arms and leans back on his chair.

 _What exactly is going on in that curious yet so damn stubborn head of yours, Miss Prior?_

She blinks, then frowns.

"Should I say cool or something?"

And for the first time in a year, Tobias finds himself laughing so hard that his eyes squints shut, his head throws back and his stomach starts to ache.

"I'm pretty serious right here." She scolds, lips twisting into a scowl when he simply disregards her words and even dares to laugh harder.

"Look. If you're here to just laugh at-"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Tobias tries to apologise, holding one of his hands up while the other massages his aching jaw.

She rolls her eyes, picks up her fork and shoves a gnocchi into her mouth.

"So the point is," Tobias starts, pinching his lips tight to hold himself back from laughing. "I was actually thinking that maybe I can coach you."

Her eyes shoot up to his. "Coach?"

Tobias nods. "Coach. Like giving you additional classes of some sort to help you improvise your writing."

Beatrice frowns, a crease forming on her forehead. "And how can that help me with my 'holding myself back' problem?"

Tobias shrugs. "Well, despite the fact that I _do_ wish that you can change that 'holding yourself back' attitude, that is not the area which I want to focus on."

Beatrice tilts her head slightly to one side. "Then?" She questions, her eyebrows starting to furrow together.

"I was thinking of helping you to get a clearer view of what you want to write in an article." Tobias replies, clasping his hands together. "When I read your previous articles, it seems as if there are so many things which you wanted to say and yet you can't thoroughly explain even one of the points which you bring out in your article. For example, in your previous article, you wanted to write about how you fear trusting a person with your whole heart, but then you also went on to write about how you fear a person deceiving you. And though I really love the fact that you brought up an interesting and rarely viewed perspective on love, what you did not manage to do was to properly and thoroughly explain your ideas."

Beatrice huffs a frustrated sigh as she scratches the back of her head. "I... don't think I get you."

"Well, while you mentioned that it is scary when a person knows all of your fears and weaknesses, you didn't tell why us _why_ is it so scary when a person knows all of your fears and weaknesses. By further explaining your fears, it can involuntarily influence the minds of your readers and thus, giving it a greater impact." He leans back. "You earn higher points that way."

Her head nods slowly as she puckers her lips in thought. "I guess that makes sense... But why exactly are you doing this? I mean, you were just fine with embarrassing me in front of the whole class without needing to help me out with my writing. Heck, you even told me to get out of the class and just drop the subject."

Tobias pulls in a sharp breath as her harsh words pierce through his hopes of regaining her trust.

"I thought that I can be... more professional." He states, more like a question than a reply.

"Professional?"

"Well, yes. Like you said, I have been pretty unfair and unprofessional throughout my first two weeks in teaching. And I thought that I should change..."

"By coaching me?"

"Miss Prior..." He breathes. "I have been treating you horribly. It doesn't take a genius to see that. And it was very unfair of me to do so especially when you are one of the brightest student we have in our class."

"Yet I got a C?"

Tobias huffs a breath of annoyance, scratching the back of his neck. "Miss Prior, I thought that I have mentioned it before that _that_ was because of your writing, not your intellectual level."

"And that's why you want to coach me? Because you think that I can do better if I am assisted? That I am some kind of... diamond in the rough?"

"Exactly." Tobias nods with emphasise.

She chews into the insides of her cheeks as she closes her eyes and holds her breath in.

"I'll think about it." She announces and his heart skips a beat.

"You will think about it?"

She nods her head to him. "Yeah. I'll think about it."

Professor Eaton beams, his eyes shining wide with excitement- like a child when his mother praises him for being such a good boy.

 _He's never changed from his childish ways has he?_ Beatrice thinks with a small smile.

The smile on Tobias's face grows wider at the sight of hers.


	15. Chapter 15: Tu Es Mignonne

**A/N: Everybody hold your horses and read my sister's fan-fiction of this fan-fiction. (Yup, my story has officially been blessed with a fan-fiction!) Her (FFnet) pen-name is Tiaricale and the title of the fan-fiction fan-fiction is "Love Is A One Way Street". It fills in the gap in between chapter 10 and chapter 11 with false events (so don't tell me that the dean's name is Erica Peterson for that was just my sister insisting to name the dean Eric which is impossible for the dean is a female). Maybe we can say that the story was a nightmare which Tobias had? Yeah, I think I like the idea of it being Tobias's dream (but the dean's name is still not Erica Peterson. Don't scold me if you are misled by this fact. I have actually left (and will leave more) clues on what is the dean's name. You figure it out if you feel like it.).**

 **So anyway, the contents of this chapter were actually meant to be two separate chapters, making up chapters 15 and 16. However, chapter 15 lacks depth (or anything really) and so I decided to merge these two together (and cut out some contents in this chapter which I will forward to the next one). The quality of it might lack a bit, but I hope that it doesn't disappoint you too much.**

 **More interesting stuff will be happening in the next chapter. We will see what Tobias thinks after he accidentally... did something which you'll read and there will be a big reference to Acacia (which I like) and Beatrice and Tobias will be having extra classes (before the sun sets) and yeah... things like that. So stay tuned and don't forget to leave your thoughts! I love reading them ^^**

* * *

 **Hope: Oh yes, t** **here is nothing better than loading your time with stories after stressful times. I can totally relate to that. I spent the first two weeks post-NaNoWriMo reading countless of fan-fictions ranging from Divergent to Harry Potter to Thor(like Loki really). Glad to know that my story was of great assistance ;)**

 **Thank you! Really, I think that every opinion deserves to be heard, may it be bad or good. And when it comes to my writing here on FFnet, the opinions I get are what help me to become a better author. I mean, I couldn't have improved from my writing standards during my Acacia days to my writing standards now if it wasn't for all of the pretty critical feedbacks I received from some of the readers.**

 **In fact, despite the fact that I received a larger average of reviews per chapter in Acacia, I definitely prefer to just receive the amounts I receive now since they come with interesting thoughts and conclusions which I sometimes didn't even think of. And some of these thoughts actually inspires me to write certain scenes and I just honestly enjoy reading them :)**

 **Thanks again and I hope that you'll enjoy what's coming up in this chapter!**

 **P/S: Your feelings are accurate ;)**

 **Guest: Hi guest! Are you Divergentmaniac without a name?**

 **I see that most of you guys are anticipating the tutoring scene. It will sadly only come up in the next chapter, so you guys have to wait for that :D But there is a pretty interesting Fourtris scene down there (nothing which livens up HotaruBia's M-rated imagination though XD).**

 **I guess that what I was trying to point out is the fact that they can't help from not being themselves once they are around each other. It's like, even though Tobias tries to put on this tough facade, he is prone to pull it down when he is with Beatrice. It is an interesting perspective actually. When you read Acacia, you saw him as a childish and very caring kind of person. That is because he opens up to Tris, his family and Zeke. But in Arbutus (the earlier chapters of Arbutus actually) you see a more cruel and cold side of him. That is because he tends to act cold and tough towards others.**

 **So when Beatrice jumps into his bad book, he acts cold towards her too- that is until he realises his mistakes and starts to accept her again. So you'll start to see a lot more of this childish and playful side of Tobias which we witnessed in Acacia :)**

 **I actually haven't written the post yet, but I definitely will try to write it tomorrow since I _do_ feel compelled to write it.**

 ** **Thank you for the review! ^^****

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

 _"Miss Prior..." He breathes. "I have been treating you horribly. It doesn't take a genius to see that. And it was very unfair of me to do so especially when you are one of the brightest students we have in our class."_

 _"Yet I got a C?"_

 _Tobias huffs a breath of annoyance, scratching the back of his neck. "Miss Prior, I thought that I have mentioned it before that that was because of your writing, not your intellectual level."_

 _"And that's why you want to coach me? Because you think that I can do better if I am assisted? That I am some kind of... diamond in the rough?"_

 _"Exactly." Tobias nods with emphasis._

A tinge of disappointment lingers at the back of her mind every time his confession repeats itself in her head.

He is sorry for treating her badly because she is a good student and is probably someone who the university can use as a trophy so they can announce to the world, "This is our student! She's so bright because she studied here in Cincinnati University! You should too!".

He is not sorry for treating her badly because he still loves her.

But what kind of foolish thought is that? Why should she mind the reason as to why he is sorry? In fact, she should probably be thankful that he is sorry for a more professional reason and is now taking a step ahead towards becoming a professional professor. And once he becomes a professional professor, it will leave no space for them to have a romantic relationship for that is both against the act of professionalism and also illegal. Thus, it will make it easier for her to forgive him and move on.

Right?

 _Right?_

"Oi Beatrice!"

Her heart sputters and her skin coils in shock.

Fernando shakes his head. "Honestly, your attention has been somewhere so far away ever since yesterday."

Beatrice rolls her eyes and continues to sip her milk through the ridiculously fancy straw, only to look up and find Myra looking at her with concern painted on her eyes.

Beatrice gives a small smile to Myra who hesitantly smiles back and pretends to not feel worried of Beatrice's behaviour.

Beatrice can sense the lie...

Myra is fully aware of that fact.

"Thank you so much for suggesting this milkshake stall to us, Myra," Beatrice says, sipping the last of her milkshake noisily.

Myra shrugs. "I've been here a lot of times. My aunt works here as the de-"

"Oh Beatrice," Fernando interrupts. "Are you free tonight?"

Beatrice stands up, slings the strap of her bag on her shoulder and walks away.

His shoulders fell and his jaw slackens in disbelieve.

 _"Fernando, I just don't want you to be disappointed in the end. The girl is never going to fall for you. You are just not her type." His brother pleads from the other end of the phone. "Please Fernando, believe me. You're better off with a more cheerful and happy and polite and lady-like kind of girl."_

 _Fernando bites the ends of his fingernails as he listens to his brother's preaches. "But-"_

 _"No buts, honestly Fernando!"_

 _"But what if she's just like that because... because you know, something happened to her. And maybe I can help her out and she'd be happier and she'd open up more or something..."_

 _His brother heaves a long sigh. "You mean to suggest that her heart will melt when you profess your love for her or something?"_

 _Fernando remains silent._

 _"Don't you see that she can sense that you are harbouring feelings for her?"_

 _Fernando freezes in his steps. "You.. how can you tell?"_

 _"How can I tell?" His brother laughs dryly. "Because you never are good in hiding anything. Every time you look at her, there's this doe-eyed look in your eyes and every time anyone offends her, you practically turn into this wild-horse to defend her."_

 _"But friends can also have each other's back..."_

 _His brother rubs his temples with his forefinger, wondering just how in the world can he ever convince his younger brother that the girl is not the girl for him. "Fernando... I don't know what else should I do to make you see plain fact... but let me tell you just one last thing." He pulls in a deep breath. "If you want to remain friends with that girl, you better forget about your dreams of kissing her to sleep or whatever else that romantic mind of yours dream about and continue to just sincerely be friends with her because from how I see it, the more romantic affection you show towards her, the more distant she'd grow towards you."_

 _Fernando closes his eyes briefly, holding back the river and trying hard to convince himself that his brother knows nothing about Beatrice._

 _"You're with me bro?"_

 _"Yeah..." Fernando lies._

 _"You know I love you and I don't want you to get hurt right?"_

 _"Yeah." Fernando fakes a chuckle to which his brother nervously laughs along._

 _"No hard feelings alright?"_

 _"Yes, yes." Fernando insists, full out laughing this time as he turns the knob of the wooden door and swings it open, finding a pair of blue eyes looking up at him from her bed._

 _"Oh, I've got to go. Will catch up with you later bro." Fernando ends the call and rushes up her bedside, pulling a chair for him to sit on._

A hand shakes his left shoulder and he abruptly turns his head to look at the owner of the hand.

"You okay?" Myra asks when she sees the silent sign of tears in Fernando's eyes.

He wipes his thumb along the rims of his eyes.

"Yeah." He smiles at Myra. "I'm fine."

"Good. Because I do not want to end up with two sappy friends with me. That'll be a dull life."

Myra smiles when Fernando laughs at her words, her heart singing happily at the sound of his laughter as she bids him a farewell, grabbing a copy of the university sponsored The Cincinnati Enquirer. A few seconds later, the large black words which make up the headline of the newspaper catch her eyes which practically bulge out from their sockets. Her pace rapidly quickens and her gaze lingers at every dark alley she comes across- heart thumping loudly in her chest.

The sight of her dormitory has never been brighter and she quickly runs up to her room, fumbling with the keys before she jams the right one through the keyhole.

"And now he's acting like nothing happened!"

Myra freezes, key half turned in the keyhole.

"Like he wasn't so cold, like, like... like all those words he has said was nothing?!"

Myra timidly knocks twice on the door before she slowly swings it open, peeping in to find that everything is still in place before she takes a small step in. Her gaze falls on a Beatrice, her hands in a fist, blue scarf hanging from the bed where it was probably flung aside.

"Beatrice?"

"What?" Beatrice snaps at the brunette who flinches and hangs her head down. A spark of guilt seeps through her anger and she closes her eyes with a sigh. "Sorry." She breathes, pressing her fingers to her temple as she sits down on her bed.

"Do you think I should accept it?"

Myra looks up at Beatrice, her eyes squinted slightly as her brows furrows. "Well... accept what, exactly?"

"His... proposal."

Myra's jaw drops. "Someone proposed to you?"

Beatrice slaps her right palm on her face, shaking her head in disbelieve. "No, honestly! Not that kind of proposal."

"Oh..." Myra slumps back down. "Sorry but I... am at lost really, what... kind of proposal are you talking about?"

"Well..." Beatrice drawls, eyes wild as she scavenges her brain for the right words. "During lunch this afternoon, Professor Eaton proposed a sort of self-coaching class to me. Telling me that he thinks that I have more potential than I think and it'll be a waste if I am not assisted. And he wants to help me out."

Myra's eyes grow wide once more. "He said that?"

"Well... not literally, but yeah."

"Is he bipolar or something?"

Beatrice frowns. "Why?"

"Because one day he's so cold and the next he's so nice... The fact that he helped us look for you the other day was already a big surprise."

Her eyebrows skyrocket. "Look for me when?" _I can't remember being lost..._

"Didn't Fernando tell you?"

Beatrice frowns and shakes her head a no.

"Last Friday, we were worried because we haven't seen you ever since that philosophy class and while we were looking for you, Fernando bumped into Professor Eaton. Fernando told the professor that you were missing and in a flash, he went looking for you- finding you by the next minute."

 _He looked for me..._

Was he worried?

 _He looked for me..._

Did he care?

 _He looked for me..._

Does he lov-

"Well I don't know." Beatrice huffs out, brushing her thoughts out of her mind. "If he ever was bipolar, I have no clue about it but he never showed any signs of it and the point is, I need to decide about this proposal he gave me."

Myra bites her lower lip, saying something she might regret one day later when Beatrice comes back broken and shattered once more. "I'd say yes for the sake of your studies," She says.

Beatrice nods once. "And for the sake of my well-being?" She asks her friend who looks at her with a serious face.

"I'd say no."

CCO

"Alright class, again today you're going assignment free since I've been giving you assignments during the last two weeks for every two lessons and I believe that the lot of you deserve a break. The class is dismissed."

Happy chatters evidently erupt as the students pack their books and rise up from their chairs, lining themselves up towards the exit.

"Miss Prior."

All eyes turn towards her.

"You could... stay back for a while, if it doesn't bother you? I need to talk to you about something."

"But her French class is going to start in a few minutes, Professor Eaton." Fernando objects.

Professor Eaton rolls his eyes at the black-haired kid. "Then I'll give her a letter to pass to her French lecturer saying that I held her back."

"But-"

"Fernando." Beatrice huffs in irritation. "I won't _die_ in a few minutes. Stop defending me as if I am going to crumble the moment I am out of your sights."

Fernando mutters something inaudible, walking away with Myra towing behind. Beatrice catches Myra's nod of support before the lady runs out of the lecture hall to catch up with the glowering Fernando.

The door slams shut behind her and there is no single soul inside the room left other than the man a few feet in front of her and of course, Beatrice herself. Still, Beatrice stares at the door intently as if she is solving a math equation which was pasted on it. Her fingers fidget in her pockets.

"French?" The professor asks with amusement.

Her eyes flicker to his, the door, then back.

She shrugs her shoulders. "I needed to take a second language."

"And how do you say the word 'you' in French?"

Beatrice frowns. "Depending if you're in formal or informal terms with the person and or situation. Tu is used when you are in informal terms and vous is used when you are in formal terms with the person."

Professor Eaton tilts his head to one side. "And if I were to say the word 'are'? As in 'you are'... in informal terms?"

Beatrice eyes him suspiciously. "Tu es."

He nods his head, muttering an "Interesting..." before he waves his hand in an act of brushing the topic off. "Never mind about that. I actually wanted to ask you about the additional classes."

She bites her lower lip. "Oh..."

"So... Are you in? Or... no? We can arrange the time and venue so that it will be up to your convenience. I can also do it on the weekends since I have nothing much to do then too..."

Beatrice closes her eyes, finding the desperate look on Tobias's eyes hypnotising.

 _"I'd say yes for the sake of your studies."_

 _"And for the sake of my well-being?"_

 _"I'd say no."_

But who cares about her well-being right now? She needs to ace her tests or she won't receive a scholarship. Then Caleb and Shauna will have to work harder to earn money for her studies or Marcus and Johanna will be insisting on giving them financial help aid over again, just like what they did when she and her siblings first move out of Chicago and to the old house they currently reside in in Cincinnati.

 _"I'd say no."_

"Miss Prior?"

Her fingers start to fidget even harder and her molars dig themselves deep into the insides of her cheeks.

 _"I'd say no."_

"Is... everything okay, Miss-"

"Yes."

The professor blinks. "You're... okay?"

"No, I mean, yes I'm in." She looks straight into his eyes. "I'm in with your study plan."

A wide smile slowly grows on the professor's lips.

Beatrice believes that his face might be spilt into two if the smile stretches any longer.

"Thank you... Thank you so much, Miss Prior you have no clue how much this means to me."

She squints her eyes at him and takes a small step back, away from the strangely blissed professor whose breathless appreciation has left her as nothing but perplexed.

"I... am grateful to know that I have cheered up your day."

The professor throws his head back as he lets out a mad ring of laughter. "Cheered up my day, you definitely did."

Beatrice nods shortly, pressing her lips together before she runs out of the study hall.

 _Let's hope that that will be the last of a mad Professor Eaton._

CCO

"And how can I know nothing of this?" Fernando demands when Beatrice breaks the news that she is taking additional classes with Professor Eaton- a.k.a. the man who has just sent her into a breakdown less than a week ago.

"Fernando, I just agreed to it this morning." Beatrice sighs exasperatedly, her steps growing harsher and harsher by each passing minute as they walk their way towards their last lecture of the day- English Literature. Which, if Beatrice guesses correctly from the way Myra will always skip happily every time they head towards the class, is Myra's favourite lesson.

"But he told you about it since two days ago and-"

"I just decided to!" Beatrice scolds, the pitch of her voice rising higher.

"You didn't even consult with me about-"

"I asked Myra!"

"Do I mean nothing to you?"

Her mind switch flickers on and off for a moment. "What does that even have to do with this?"

"Well if I mean something to you, you would have consulted me when you need to decide on this kind of stuff!"

Beatrice fists her fingers and purses her lips. "Like what? Myra is my friend, is our friend in fact. Yet she didn't even consult with any of us when she wanted to sign up for the writer's club and write for the weekly newsletter, and I didn't scold her for it- you're never angry about it!"

"That is Myra. Who cares about Myra? I'm talking about you! You, Beatrice. You are supposed to ask my opinion before you run back to your dumb ex-"

His head snaps to the right.

Beatrice caresses her red fist with gritted teeth.

She pulls the collar of his shirt down towards her so his face is at her eye level. "Firstly, you don't insult Myra. If you don't care about her then fine, but I do. Because for your knowledge, Myra is a much better friend than what you can ever be. And secondly, I am not running back for anyone. My intentions are purely to improve my writing skills so that I can earn a scholarship. If you don't mind about not getting a scholarship because your dad is so rich, then fine. But please understand that not everyone is as rich as you are and that includes both me, and Myra."

Beatrice lets go of him with a slight push and wraps her fingers around Myra's hand. "And if you want to keep up with this attitude," she holds up her free hand towards him, pointing her finger to his face like a dagger... but her eyes, gleaming with anger and hatred, definitely feels sharper to him. "then you can just fuck. off. Fernando Wolt."

She walks away from him, draping her left arm around Myra's shoulder...

 _"If you want to remain friends with that girl, you better forget about your dreams of kissing her to sleep or whatever else that romantic mind of yours dream about and continue to just sincerely be friends with her because from how I see it, the more romantic affection you show towards her, the more distant she'd grow towards you."_

 _Fernando closes his eyes briefly, holding back the river and trying hard to convince himself that his brother knows nothing about Beatrice._

This time, he doesn't bother to hold the river back.

CCO

Beatrice drops her blunt pencil, crosses her arms and scowls at her English literature assignment- a retell of William Shakespeare's King Lear in her own words within just two thousand words.

And right now, it is not at all looking good.

 _Like how do you compress that super long story into two thousand words? It is just simply impossible._

She crumples her current sheet of failed writing and throws it in the trashcan, frowning at her almost empty tray where she stacks her writing sheets.

"I need to get new writing sheets soon." Beatrice ponders, her left hand pulling out a new sheet of paper from the tray and her right one pulling out a new pencil from a chipped mug on her table.

 _The university should give her more stationary coupons for her to buy enough writing sheets throughout the year._

Her right-hand resumes scratching the paper with harsh writings using her well-sharpened 2B pencil.

 _Like everyone is assigning her to write super hard essays, it is literally unfair!_

 _But what is this word she needs?_

 _It's something... something like obvious... and bilious... and envious... or frivolous?_

"Hey Myra!" She calls, turning her chair to face her roommate who has her back against her as she is also busy writing down her own retell of King Lear. "What's the word to describe someone who can't see something which is so obvious and like... in plain sight?"

Myra flips a page with a sigh. "Oblivious," she tells, the tone of her voice low and downbeat.

Beatrice chews the insides of her cheeks. "Thanks," she replies, though not looking away from Myra.

 _Should I ask her what's wrong?_

 _I definitely should... but will she feel-_

A loud ringing noise emits from Beatrice's phone and the word 'Dinner' pops up onto the screen.

"Hey Myra, let's have dinner shall we?"

Myra just solemnly nods, clicking her pen close and picking up her keys.

 _Maybe she is hurt because of Fernando's words?_

"You know Myra," Beatrice starts, giving a sideway glance at her friend. "Fernando has always been very impulsive when he's feeling emotional."

Myra squints her eyes and furrows her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"Well..." Beatrice bites her tongue. "When Fernando said that you don't mean anything to him, he was probably just saying it because he wanted to gain an upper hand when we were quarrelling- which did not work anyway. He tends to be... over-protective when it comes to certain things and when he is in that over-protective mood, he won't think twice before catching a bullet, if it is required, to save the person he wishes to."

Myra nods her head slowly, but tightly.

"You're okay?" Beatrice asks, pausing in her steps to glance up at Myra's eyes.

She nods again, but her eyes are not returning Beatrice's glance.

Heavy rain starts to pour down and Myra quickly makes a beeline towards a nearby shade. Looking around her in a frenzy when she notices that her friend isn't by her side, Myra spots Beatrice in the middle of the rain, looking up into the stormy sky as the water pours down on her face. Her eyes widen even more when she notices that Beatrice is not wearing her coat.

 _She definitely is going to end up with a flu at this rate._

"Beatrice! Get out of the rain, you are going to catch a cold!" Myra scolds, beckoning for her to join her under the shade.

But Beatrice just looks at her with a smirk and cries out in joy, "My dad said that my sister and I are made out of rubber. We're waterproof!"

"Rubber or not rubber, I'm not risking one of my brightest students falling sick now am I?"

Her heart drops at the sound of the voice and she whirls around-

A Professor Eaton stands a few feet behind her, holding up an umbrella to hide himself from the rain. He walks closer and closer, until he is close enough to shield the rain drops from spelling a cold onto Beatrice.

Close enough that Beatrice finds herself inhaling a familiar musky scent-

And she doesn't know if she should step back or stay put.

 _Or just step closer and into his arms?..._

"Come on now Miss Prior, let's not sign up for some infirmary membership club with the amount of time you're going to end up there."

Beatrice scowls at him, crossing her arms across her chest in an act of defiance.

But her confidence wavers when a mischievous smile lifts the professor's lips. "You know," He starts. "I just learned a new word from the French adjectives chart in the library just now. It is mignonne, French for cute. And together with what I learned from you this morning, I can form the sentence, tu es mignonne."

"Tobias!" She scolds, hitting her fist to his chest in a playful punch to which he breaks into a chuckle, grinning widely when he spots the red hues colouring her cheeks.

Though frowns when he realises that she is shivering.

"Goodness Tris! You're going to get sick soon." He panics, fumbling his arms out of his coat and wraps it around her.

But she can't response with a thank you or a no thank you or a frown or a blush because her senses have stopped working when her ears catch that name.

That name which she hasn't heard of since last year.

That name which she doesn't want to hear for she hates to be reminded of the memories which come along with the name.

The name which she made sure no one else calls her with. Even Marcus and Johanna call her by the name Beatrice now.

A series of tinkling, chiming sound rings from the pocket of Beatrice's jeans and she quickly pulls it out, finding her brother's name popping up on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bea!" Her brother replies, voice light and chirpy. "So how's your first two weeks doing?"

Beatrice contemplates her answers, trying to make a choice between telling the truth, half truth, half lie or just lies.

"Great really." She lies, wiping some rainwater from her face and pulling the coat around her tighter as the rain suddenly grows stronger.

 _She's thoroughly drenched._

"In fact, so great that I am dancing in the heavy rain right now."

"You've got to be kidding me- no wait, I _can_ hear the rain. What are you doing, Helen Beatrice Prior? Get some umbrella or something, you are going to catch a flu!"

"Actually, I _do_ have an umbrella above..." The lack of nylon canopy hovering over her head renders her speech to a stop. She looks around her, finding no signs of the professor at all- just a worried looking brunette who is still waiting for Beatrice to join her under the shades.

 _Was it all a mere dream?_

"Beatrice Prior! I said get out of the rain, I know you haven't moved yet."

"Yeah, yeah..." Beatrice mumbles into the phone, her feet bringing her to where Myra is still standing. "Hey Caleb, I'm quite busy right now, can I call you later?"

Caleb sighs but agrees and ends the call.

"I really think that he's bipolar." Myra comments, eyeing the big brown coat which hugs Beatrice's petite form.

Beatrice pulls a deep breath in, subconsciously inhaling his musky scent all over again.


	16. Chapter 16: Ivy and Jonquil

**A/N: I am very sorry to say that their first additional class/coaching lessons scene has been rearranged to happen in the next chapter and not this one since the chapter after that was too short and a little bit empty and it just fits in better this way. Very sorry to let you guys down but I promise that the next chapter is (I am unabashedly praising myself on this one) really cute, nice, like...makes-you-bite-your-lower-lip-and-nuzzle-your-face-into-a-pillow-like-what-Tobias-and-Beatrice-will-be-doing. A.K.A., the chapter made me grin like an idiot.**

 **Yay! Seven reviews away to the 100 reviews mark. Will I post a special chapter or an out-take if we reach the 100 reviews mark in less than 24 hours? Who knows... ;)**

 **Oh, and I have posted a character study on Tobias being a tough guy which I promised to write for Divergentmaniac on my Tumblr. If anyone is interested in reading it, please do. Just open my Tumblr (Google for 'lyndaloyde Tumblr' and you'll definitely find it) then type in /tagged/Arbutus at the end of my Tumblr blog url and you'll find a list of my Arbutus related posts. The said post should be easy to find from there :)**

* * *

 **Hmm... it's been a long while since I've heard from Manasi...**

 **Hope: I think that's what I like about writing in third point-of-view, you get to see things from a wider scope and it makes the story all the more interesting. Like in Arbutus here, you get to see how _both_ Beatrice and Tobias are struggling to tell the other how they feel instead of seeing a single Tris wondering if Tobias likes her and if she should trust him as we see in Acacia. And we actually get to see how Fernando is really sincere in his affections towards Beatrice and he really is concerned in protecting her (like what else will you do if your friend is acquainting a previously abusive man?) instead of just feeling annoyed at how Fernando is always bothering her because you get to read how Fernando see things instead of just how Beatrice does. And I guess _this_ is the cause as to why so many of you guys feel for Fernando (which I really do not because he is inspired by a real-life person I had to encounter and I don't really like that guy and still don't feel sorry for him, even when I start to see things how he might have seen it XD).**

 **Thanks! x**

 **Divergentmaniac: XD Don't worry about it. You still sound like you even when you forgot to put your name up. It is very fascinating seeing how different people draw different kinds of conclusions and see different kinds of things from one single story. And the things you (anonymously) wrote in your review for the previous chapter were very you. I really enjoy reading all of these reviews. They are so, very... reflective and believe it or not it even helps _me_ understand my characters more.**

 **The part where Myra identifies Tobias as bipolar is to capture two things. One, to show Myra's tendency of making extreme/dramatic conclusions especially when she is panicked and another is to show how Myra (and Fernando) has little to no clue about Tobias. I mean, Beatrice has been living with Tobias for about a month and they have opened up to each other a lot during that span of time, but not Myra. Thus, she concludes that Tobias is bipolar.**

 **Caleb won't be making another appearance until in the last few chapters (as of yet), but you'll see a lot of Zeke coming up (and Shauna will be mentioned a lot when there is a Zeke because he loves her that much) in the coming chapters. His and Shauna's appearance in the coming chapter, is so far my all time favourite ^^ *coughs*It has something to do with the teaser I posted on my Tumblr blog*coughs***

 **Thank you and you're welcome! I love long reviews! :D**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

"Crap, crap, crap, crap!" Tobias mutters, forcing the door wide open with his fist. His chair creaks in protest when he lands on it harshly, automatically wheeling him back by a few inches.

"Why did I call her that?"

"Why did I call her that?"

"We're supposed to be on a last name basis!"

 _Well she called you Tobias first..._

He marches away from his computer desk and lands on the floor beside his bedroom window, his face sliding in between his arms as he palms the back of his head with his elbows on his knees.

She wants him to be professional. That was what she mentioned. And she had been calling him by his last name even when he tried to show a lighter side of himself- the side which she used to know.

 _But she just called you Tobias a few minutes ago._

Well it was probably a mistake- a slip. Just like what he accidentally did. In fact, her reaction upon hearing the name which he used to call her screams a million words.

She was starting to let loose- to let down that guard which she always put up when she is with him. Her eyes were twinkling and she actually smiled at him- for the second time in a whole year. But when he spoke her name she... a switch flickered in her eyes and the guard returned back to its position.

Yes he wants to redeem himself.

Yes he wants her to forgive him for all the million mistakes he did and yes he wants her to admit her feelings for him.

But they can't just yet.

Not quite yet.

He can't just force her to reciprocate his feelings when she isn't ready.

 _Yet he is yearning for it... craving for that feeling of being loved and supported by the person who has helped him go through all of the personal conflicts he has had with his dad and that guilty pressure he carried on his back for the past years._

For many years, ever since he was a child, his dad has always told him that if he was never born, his mother would still be alive.

And he believed that. He believed in his father's words.

He believed that he shouldn't have ever been given the chance to breathe and live a life. He doesn't deserve the pleasures of life. His mother did, but not him.

Then _she_ came around. And he... he felt different.

She made him feel strong and confident.

She made him feel complete and whole.

He doesn't just deserve to live, he deserves the world. She made her feel like he deserves anything and everything.

But from all of the things he feels like he can have, he's only ever wanted one thing.

Just one thing which he still can't have, can't hold.

Helen Beatrice Prior herself.

CCO

The Autumn rain continues to shower over Cincinnati as a small blonde girl leans on a glass window, overlooking the downpour. She hugs her knees loosely to her chest as her grey-blue eyes follow the trail of a raindrop.

The lost pair of eyes catches the reflection of a pair of brown ones looking at her and Beatrice knows just what Myra is thinking.

 _So what do you think of it?_ Beatrice bets Myra is wanting to ask.

 _Think of what?_ She will answer, trying to beat around the bush.

 _About Professor Eaton and his sudden impulse in kindness._ Myra will re-clarify.

But she knows that Myra won't question her, won't ever ask her until she is ready to talk. Myra reminds her of her old friend Susan from the orphanage on the Buffalo Mountains. Her friend which she has pledged to help once she is able to. Her friend whom Beatrice has no clue as to what has happened to her after Jeanine was arrested for child abuse, bribery, and countless more charges.

They lost contact. And when the three remaining Priors visited the Buffalo Mountains last December, Susan was nowhere to be seen.

But Beatrice still hopes that one day, they will be able to trace each other back.

The sheets on Myra's bed shuffles and Beatrice turns to watch her friend as she crawls under the sheets.

"What do you think about Professor Eaton's sudden act of kindness?"

Myra sits up and turns to face Beatrice, her eyebrows rising slightly. She shrugs. "I don't know. What do you think of it?"

Beatrice turns back to face the window, eyes landing on a specific raindrop which is clinging to the window, refusing to slide down and let go.

"I... am really lost and confused about it," She confesses, breaking her gaze from the window to look down at the fingers entwined in front of her knees. "I mean, he was... he was so mean to me. And I honestly understand why with what I have done to him..."

Beatrice huffs and lets go of her knees, her hands digging into her short blonde locks instead. "I mean, not saying that it is right, but it will make so much sense if he doesn't want to be associated with me at all. Or hate me with his whole heart. Or just punish me until the world ends. But what does not makes sense is why would he want to help me. _That_ is just completely senseless."

Myra bites her lower lip, frowning a little as she reflects Beatrice's situation to hers.

 _She never saw him after he left._

 _He never reappeared in her life._

 _He never tried to be kind to her after they fell apart._

Maybe Professor Eaton really is bipolar?

Or... if it is true that Professor Eaton was just as worried as she was when Beatrice went missing, then maybe Beatrice still has a place in Professor Eaton's heart? And when she almost died, it made him realise that he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life without her.

"Well... Maybe he wants to reconcile things or something?" Myra tries.

But Beatrice just shrugs, shifting back into her previous position of rain watching.

"What was it which you were talking about with the professor when you submitted your assignment by the way?"

Beatrice sports another shrug. "Just... something about how he should be more professional in class and to stop his emotions from getting the better of him."

"Then maybe he is just trying to be more professional?"

Beatrice scoffs. "You and I can both try to believe that."

Myra bites her tongue and slumps her shoulders. "I... don't know... You and I both know that there is only one possibility left."

They both stay silent after that, allowing the low rumbles of the rain to replace their voices.

CCO

The moon glows brightly after the grey storm of clouds have finally decided to move away from the skies of Cincinnati. And despite having a couple of twinkling stars in company, its light seems to dim down when it sees two lost lovers staring sorrowfully up at him for answers and inspirations from different windows.

Both are blue eyed. Just of different shades.

One deep like the deepest of the ocean and the other greyish like the shallow water.

How it wishes that they both know what the other is thinking.

How it wishes that they both can feel each other's breaking heart as they ache to be together.

How it wishes that they won't waste up their lives by just thinking and wishing to know if they still mean a lot to each other.

How it wishes that they both can step up and confess their loves.

CCO

Myra doesn't know if she wants to smile amusedly or frown worriedly when she finds her friend sleeping at the edge of her bed, her arms hugging a certain brown coat to her chest.

A certain brown coat which has buttons on the right side instead of the left.

A certain brown coat which fills the room with an alien but alluring smell.

She tries to pat her friend awake but ends up shaking her quite harshly when Beatrice doesn't budge.

"Beatrice, class starts in an hour. You need to shower and have some breakfast before it starts."

Beatrice rubs her eyes, blinking a couple of times to adjust them to the bright lights. She nods twice to Myra, thanking her before slowly rising up from her crouch.

CCO

"Have you seen Fernando?" Myra asks looking up at Beatrice in between her mouthfuls of their one dollar lunch meal which turns out to be quite nice.

Beatrice shrugs. "Don't know and don't really care right now. I'm still angry at him after last Wednesday."

Myra bites her lower lip and looks back down.

"You know what bothers me the most? He treats me as if I belong to him or something."

"Well it makes sense for him to get worried since it was also Professor Eaton who mistreated you." Myra objects to which Beatrice scoffs and scowls.

"He has been doing that ever since last September when we first met at school. It's like he labelled me as his and made sure that no one else tried to befriend me- especially the guys."

Myra opens her mouth to object once more but decides against it when she sees the fire in Beatrice's eyes.

"I never really mind about it since I'm not even that keen to befriend anyone at any rate. But now, he's getting to the extent of controlling my whole life and it is very annoying." Beatrice complains, stirring her spoon furiously on her plate. "Why do you even bother about him anyway? He even said that you're of no importance. You should be just as angry as I am."

"But you said that he is very impulsive and is overprotective."

Beatrice purses her lips and looks down. "I didn't say that I like that attitude."

CCO

The large metal door looms over Tobias. He takes a deep breath and pushes the door open.

His eyes immediately dart to a certain row of seats in the middle of the study hall.

His shoulders slump a little when he realises that the seat is still empty.

Tobias places his books on his desk and brings out his copy of _Metaphysics_ , flipping the book open to a specific page which he has marked with a sticky note.

"The investigation of the truth is in one way hard, in another easy. An indication of this is found in the fact that no one is able to attain the truth adequately, while, on the other hand..."

 _She can't be badly affected by yesterday's events, right? She won't skip the class just because of it... right?_

Tobias shakes his head and reread the sentence.

"The investigation of the truth is in one way hard, in another easy. An indication of this..."

 _She is stronger than what she seems. Yet maybe not as strong as he thinks. But she definitely won't feel offended for it._

Like come on! He just _accidentally called_ her by her nickname. For goodness sake, she isn't going to run for the hills because of it.

Tobias buries his face into the palms of his hands. _Why is it so hard for him to concentrate on his book?_

It's just that there is this very loud thumping sound in his head which is making him all nervous and worried and he feels a little out of breath as the seconds tick and tick...

And tick...

And tick...

And tick...

And slam!

A blonde girl marches furiously from the metal door which bounces on the wall and back to the girl's hand.

"Beatrice, please listen to me, I really didn't-"

"Didn't what Fernando? Didn't mean to or didn't want me to get hurt or just didn't want to allow me to make my own decisions?" She counters. "I have a life and I want to live it."

"But you-"

A brunette girl helplessly tries to stop the fight between the two, offering words of peace and forgiveness and holding up a hand to try and grab their attentions.

"Nope. It's _and_ you. For _and_ you better make a decision if you want to leave me alone or to keep on marching your way towards death's doormat."

"No, I won't leave you alone because right now it is you who is having a death wish."

"Oh I beg to differ."

"Oh I don't mind to demonstrate."

A loud snap shakes the nerves in Beatrice and she jumps slightly while Myra screams in surprise.

Professor Eaton stands at the other end of the study hall, hands suspended in mid-air.

"Just killed a mosquito," He informs as he 'brushes off the mosquito' from his clapped hands then waves one of his hands in the air. "Please, don't bother me and _do_ demonstrate your death wish," He says, nonchalantly picking up his book and flipping through it.

Fernando scowls a little, taking a seat at the far most end of the study hall.

Tobias glances up to meet the eyes of Miss Prior. He sports a smirk at her then looks away.

CCO

"Alright students, that is all for the week. Enjoy your weekend while it lasts for I'm loading you lot up with assignments next week."

A series of sad "aww..." rumbles through the hall, but most of them sound more playful than disappointed.

Beatrice brings her left hand up to shield her eyes from the evening sun as she leaves the class with Myra.

"Miss Prior?"

She turns around to find the professor a few inches in front of her.

She takes a step back, bumping into Myra and muttering an apology.

"Yes, professor?" Beatrice asks.

"Will you mind sparing some time on the coming Saturday for your additional classes?" He asks, hands toying with his white wooden pointer as Myra notices.

Beatrice shakes her head a no. "I definitely won't mind. I don't have many plans for tomorrow at any rate."

"Except for hitting the bookstore." Myra reminds to which Beatrice went, "Oh yeah... except for that.".

Professor Eaton quirks an eyebrow. "Which book has caught your eye? A book about French or a book about the stars?"

Beatrice feels her lips nudging up by an inch before she shakes her head a no again. "I'm not buying a new book. Just your constant craving for our articles is eating up my writing sheets."

A small chuckle escapes his lips before he bites onto them, only allowing a wide grin to make an appearance. "Well then, I'll just meet you after lunch at the library? Say three in the evening? That way you can do your stationery shopping in the morning and we'll end our class around five?"

Beatrice shrugs. "Sounds cool I guess."

"Well then, I'd better be off. Have a nice day, Miss Prior, Miss Gladwing."

The two girls nod their heads at the professor and quickly walk their way towards their English Literature lecture.

Myra gives a curious glance at Beatrice when she jumbles up her Shakespeare and her Dickens. Although it is a plain fact that Beatrice is not much of a fiction literary fan, you don't really mix up Shakespeare with Dickens for their writing style are in no way similar and Beatrice _should_ be observant enough to notice that.


	17. Chapter 17: Vanilla and Cinnamon

**A/N: Hi! How's everyone doing today? I hope that the wait hasn't been too long. Without further ado, the first additional class...**

* * *

 **Hope: Thank you! I'm glad that you find their relationship realistic. I think I enjoy writing down their struggles in loving each other again because for me, that's what makes a strong relationship, you know? Like, I'm not going to deny it, some people just find each other and fit each other so well. But they'd still face problems somewhere. Maybe their parents aren't so keen on their relationship. But what I'm saying is that, these struggles are what strengthens the relationship because we learn each other's weaknesses and how to overcome them. We learn to trust each other even when there's nothing to prove that our partner is loyal to us other than the fact that we just somehow know it. We learn to be patient with our partner because bad times come and go- and we should be there for them when it comes...**

 ** _I talk as if I'm some Cupid master or something_ /).(\**

 **Yeah... you're looking too forward. There's still a lot of... _things_ they have to settle between them XD**

 **Ahh... You have to thank my younger sister, Nalash Polal Falayt (who I haven't thanked enough for 'kind-of-betaing' my stories *coughs*she-already-knows-how-this-story-ends*coughs*) for forcing me to keep that "moon point of view" scene. I was hesitant on keeping it since I felt like something was wrong with the scene. I mean, I like the idea behind it, but I felt like it's not quite right somehow. But yeah, she told me that it is good and I MUST keep it.**

 **I am keeping my lips sealed about the Myra situation :K Not even my kind-of-betaing sister knows anything about that one... Okay, she knows a bit. She knows what the endgame is, but _still_ , not that much.**

 **Thank you! ^^ I usually upload the pictures I took on my deviantart account which is also under the same name. Like if you Google 'deviantart lyndaloyde', you'll definitely find it :) But really, most of the pictures which I took are in my hard-drive. Stored there and waiting patiently for me to do something useful with them XD**

 **Enjoyed reading your review! (Which is definitely the longest review I have ever received :D.)**

 **.**

 **Guest: XD It'll take some time, but it'll come :) Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **.**

 **Divergentmaniac: ^^ I enjoy doing character studying. It helps me out with understanding my characters deeper. And like when Hope mentioned how Tobias counted how many times Beatrice has smiled to him since their fallout, I didn't realise it when I wrote it, but it highlights Tobias's desperation for her to open up to him. Which is why I love feedbacks :)**

 **Now that you mentioned it, yeah! I never saw the similarities. They're both like lost and all. Just that Tobias really wants to love and to be loved. Tris was more to like, wanting to be loved and supported.**

 **Thank you for your review!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

The oxygen in his bursting lungs starts to run even lower and his leg ache and beg for him to stop running- but he keeps on going. Splattering mud onto his black boots and almost bumping into anonymous students as he runs and runs and runs.

The front door of the library catches his sight and he breathes out a long sigh of relief. Holding his hands on his knees and trying his best to catch his breath.

 _Lesson of the day, set an alarm clock if you are going to have a nap after lunch time._ Tobias reminds himself as he jogs up the small flight of stairs which leads towards the entrance of the library.

"Crap." He mutters, catching his reflection on the tinted glass door of the library. His face is flushed, his t-shirt has fallen out of his trousers and his hair looks as if he has just ridden on a roller coaster.

Cursing when his dishevelled hair just won't stay back down, he decides to just cover it up with the blue beanie he keeps in his pocket and tucks his shirt back in place. Satisfied with how he looks, he pulls in a deep breath as he steps into the library.

Tobias quickly walks towards the rows of tables, frowning when none of the students there has blonde hair or even looks remotely close to her age- most of them are probably Ph.D. applicants.

 _Maybe she left since he didn't show up on time._

Great Eaton, you just spoiled your chance of proving to her that you can be trusted by hanging her up like this. Just great!

"Looking for something?"

Tobias turns around to find a librarian, hands in his pockets as he tilts his head to one side.

"Actually, I am looking for a someone," Tobias replies, crossing his arms over his chest. "Have you seen a short blonde? She's an undergrad, if you can tell, and probably has a blue scarf wrapped around her neck."

"Let's see... A blue scarf which looks as if it'll fall from her neck anytime?"

Tobias throws his head back in laughter, apologising to the angry librarian immediately after for interrupting the library's silence. "Yeah definitely that one."

The librarian points his hand towards a lone looking aisle, a scowl still evident on his face as he tells Tobias to turn right at the edge of it.

"She's been here once or twice before. Always sat back there."

Tobias nods a thanks before walking in the direction the librarian told him, taking in the homely smell of books. Turning right, the corners of his lips immediately curl up into a smile as his gaze falls on the student who is lying on a large bay windowsill with a book in her hands. Her back lays flat on the windowsill and she perches her socked feet on one end of the bay window, elevating her crossed legs in the air... The air which has somehow altered in smell.

It smelt of papers and ink... but now...

Now it smells of something sweet. He is used to this smell, yes. But there's that dash of spiciness now. He has never quite been able to identify it, but now he thinks... he thinks...

It smells like cinnamon, maybe.

And with that vanilla scent, it makes the air smells like... like freshly fried pancakes with cinnamon powder coated on it.

He's always found pancakes and cinnamon to be rather... _delicious._

 _Cut it off, Eaton._

Tobias huffs and leans against the wall beside her, reading the title of the book she holds in her hand- _To Walk on Eggshells._

"Why are you walking on eggshells?"

The girl jumps, almost screams and quickly pulls her feet down- tucking them in her boots.

"Err... Professor, I thought that you weren't coming since it was already five in the evening and you still haven't entered the library so I-"

"It's alright." The professor interrupts her, uncrossing his arms and taking a seat beside Beatrice.

She shuffles away slightly, locking her ankles and holding her hands together on the book she was reading.

"It really is my fault. I took a nap after lunch since I had quite the headache due to my lack of sleep last night and I didn't wake up until three hours later."

Beatrice nods, tries to say something, but ends up kicking her feet into the air in silence.

"So... that book, what is it about?"

She looks up at him with furrowed eyebrows and follows his gaze on her lap, blushing when she realises that he is talking about the book in her hands. Beatrice holds it out to him. "Something about a true life encounter of the author dealing with her child who has a bipolar disorder."

Professor Eaton raises his eyebrows. "Never knew you were into bipolar disorder."

"Well... it's not so much of me. I mean, I do know what the disorder is about more or less, but I've never really read about it. And a friend of mine has been saying that she thinks that y- well... someone has bipolar disorder. And I'm sure that he doesn't, but the title just caught my eye and when I read that it tells about encountering a bipolar person, I just had to read about it."

"Because you are hoping to find ways to deal and further understand this bipolar person?"

"Well... yes- no, I mean... I don't know... Maybe?"

Tobias holds back the chuckle which attempted to fly past his lips and opts to hum in understanding instead, scanning through the synopsis of the book before his eyes travel up to find hers. "And who is this person with bipolar disorder? Anyone in the university?"

Beatrice bites into the insides of her cheeks and rummages through her mind, looking for an honest but not so telling answer. "Yeah... he is someone in the university, but don't worry about it. I'm sure that he's fine."

"You're really sure? Because it's good if the university knows about any troubled students. We might be able to help him out."

 _Well, it isn't a student who Myra is suspecting..._ "Yes, I'm sure about it," She nods her head and smiles, trying her best to convince him to drop the subject.

Professor Eaton smiles along.

Her smile grows wider at the sight of his.

His cheeks dent with dimples as his smile grows even wider.

Her-

A loud thud echoes through the library and they quickly look down at their own fingers which lay in their laps.

 _Make her comfortable..._

 _Don't creep her out._

 _Easy talks, that should do it._

 _He just has to make her comfortable around him again._

 _Don't talk about anything personal._

Isn't he here to teach her?

Tobias lifts his head, but his words are left unspoken when he finds a familiar brown coat lying on what he supposes is Tr- Prior's bag.

"Is that my coat?"

Prior turns her head to look at it before snatching the coat and handing it to him. "You left it... in the rain- the other day... And I forgot to return it to you yesterday. So I brought it along."

"Well, I'd be a gentleman and say 'keep it', but that _is_ the only coat which I brought from Chicago and the weather have been pretty harsh on us. So thank you." He smiles.

He notices that her eyes are twinkling, she might be silently laughing inside. And Tobias can't help himself from not feeling that sense of pride creeping into his chest.

 _He almost made her laugh- she's opening herself more to me :)_

"So..." She speaks, cheeks pinkish- he can't tell why. "Should we begin our class or are you cancelling it?"

"Oh no. I'm fine with it, just that it _is_ quite late." Tobias says, frowning at the time on his phone.

 _He really should have woken up earlier._

"I have nothing to do at any rate." Beatrice shrugs, excusing herself to keep the book she was reading for a moment before taking her seat on the windowsill once more- sitting just a few inches beside the professor.

He can't stop the smile from re-emerging on his face.

CCO

"But I think, just because a person, let's name him A, frequently fights with B when compared to C, it does not mean that A is closer to C." Miss Prior protests, her eyes blazing wild-burning bright.

"In fact," She carries on. "It makes so much sense for a person to be much more affected by a person who they hold dear, who they want to please, and who they hold expectations to rather than a person who they are just fairly acquainted with."

Tobias tilts his head to a side. "And why is that?"

"Well obviously, when a person cares for another, they'd automatically want the best for them. And when things go wrong and not as how they wish for things to be, they'll get frustrated and scold the said person."

"But why are they scolding the person they care for when things go wrong?"

"Well, because the person who they care for have failed them when they have expected so much from the said person."

"But how is it that when things do not go the way they want for things to be, it automatically means that the person has failed them?"

Beatrice furrows her eyebrows. "You mean?"

"How can they automatically conclude that the person has failed them when their plans go awry? What if it wasn't the person's fault? What if the person had no control over the plan's failure?"

"Well, that _can_ happen. But what I meant was that they will get frustrated when the plans go awry _because_ of the person, and they won't mind it as much if the same things happen, just with a person who they are not as close with."

"But you didn't say that."

"Yeah... but I meant that."

Tobias heaves a sigh and gathers his hands together, shifting his position so that his torso faces her fully. "This is what I mean when I said that one of your biggest problems in writing is that you do not fully explain and write down what you mean. When you write, you are expressing yourself, you are showcasing your idea for the world to read, to think about and to understand. But if you do not properly explain what you mean, how can anyone understand your ideas?"

Beatrice presses her lips together and nods slowly. "I think I get what you're trying to say."

Tobias leans back on the window pane behind him- _the one which Miss Prior used to perch her feet on._

 _He can still feel the warmth from where she previously placed her feet..._

A whole hour ago? You're being ridiculous, Eaton.

Tobias straightens his back, leaving the warm-cold touch of the glass window behind.

"So how about you re-explain your ideas." He suggests with a small smile.

Miss Prior huffs and lifts her feet up, tucking them under her legs. "So... I believe that, when a person cares for another, they'd get easily affected by their words because... You know what?" She abruptly cuts herself off with a shake of her head. "I think you get what I mean."

Tobias smirks. "You really dislike sharing your opinions on things to others don't you?"

Her eyes squint slightly. "Yes."

"And why is that?"

"Well just because."

Tobias quirks an eyebrow. "Because?"

"Well _just because_. I am not explaining that any further."

Tobias throws his head back in laughter before a loud "Hush!" interrupts him to Beatrice's relief.

"Alright then," He says, eyes still twinkling with laughter. "I'll let you go this time, but you are to write an article concerning love and how it affects a person."

Her mouth falls open. "But I did that!" She protests, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well I want an improvised version of the article. Surely you've picked up some tips on how to improvise your article from the past hour."

A scowl twists her lips and she looks away. "Can I backtrack? I'll re-explain my opinion on that anger management topic."

Tobias shakes his head and chuckles when her shoulders slump down in response. "Next week, Prior. I want to see it next week." He rises up from the windowsill and walks away. "Good day." He speaks just as he turns left and away from her sight.

"Good day, Professor Eaton." Beatrice speaks to herself, staring at the corner where he disappeared to.

Why is he so eager to read about what she has to say about love? Why is he so eager to know what love means to her?

 _Is that even a question, Miss Prior?_

She shakes her head, huffing a breath, then picks up her bag as she walks back to the room she shares with Myra.

CCC

"So how was Professor Eaton?" Myra asks from her desk just as Beatrice has locked the door. "You spent quite a long time... four hours!" She says in shock, looking at the time on her watch.

"Oh no. We only had about an hour."

"But you left at three in the evening."

Beatrice throws her bag to the floor and plops onto her bed, massaging the stress out of her head. "Yeah... he didn't appear until like five thirty or something. Said that he accidentally over-napped."

"Well that's undisciplined and definitely very unprofessional." Myra remarks, turning her attention back to the newspaper which has been bugging her head for a few days now.

Beatrice shrugs.

 _Was he being unprofessional?_

 _I think he was quite professional._

She replays the evening's events in her head...

Pausing it right when a certain image of a wide, dimpled-cheek smile swims into her mind and she buries her face into a pillow.

"Yes, he can be unprofessional." She mumbles incoherently.

 _Professors are **not** supposed to make her feel jittery. _

_And it **is** totally his fault that she feels so. _

_Beatrice frowns at herself._

 _Where is that anger she is supposed to feel?_

 _Has she forgiven him **that** easily?... _

CCO

Zeke lifts the screen of his laptop open, immediately sending a buzz to Shauna's chat page.

 _Hey bae._ He sends, taking a bite of his slightly burnt pancake with chocolate spread supper while he waits for a reply. A message pops up onto the screen and he immediately smiles.

 _Hey! Miss you so much. Minnesota is already freezing even though it's not yet Winter. It is so unfair. We should switch places._

Zeke smirks at his girlfriend's message as he forms a sentence in his head, something along the lines of him going there to make her feel warm before his phone rings in his pocket and he quickly brings it out.

"Yo." He greets, 'backspacing' his reply.

"Hey mate!"

"Someone sounds happy." Zeke remarks on the phone with another smirk.

"Do I now?" Tobias asks with a chuckle.

 _Good news. Lovesick Puppy number one sounds happy..._ Zeke types and sends to Shauna.

"Well you're chuckling. I hardly hear you chuckle these days."

A ding rings from his laptop's speaker and a new message appears. _Ha ha! That's soon... Wonder how's Bea doing._

"Alright then, I'm happy." Tobias confesses. "Is that supposed to be a problem?"

"No mate."

 _I'll ask him._

 _What?! You don't do that! I'll call her._

"That actually solves all of my problems..." Zeke informs as he types a reply to Shauna. _Doing it now._ "But how's it going with her?

Zeke chuckles at the angry emoticon Shauna sent as he waits for Tobias to finish his long, drawling "Well...".

"Well?" Zeke ends up asking.

"Well I thought that I shouldn't... you know, get into it too soon. And like I said, I don't want to do anything illegal- dating a student."

"But?" Zeke asks knowingly.

"But... I think it's getting better. We had an additional class a couple of hours ago and she... I think she's getting less... cautious with me. In the beginning, it seems as if she was trying to avoid me, sitting very far away and not talking much. But as we went on, she's much more open and... yeah, I'm happy."

Zeke laughs out loud at Tobias's nervous, fluttery voice as he types another message to Shauna.

 _He hasn't approached her about it yet, but they're doing okay._

"Well mate, as long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Tobias beams with joy and says a thanks before he abruptly ends the call.

"Hello?"

Zeke stares at his blank phone in shock.

 _He just ended the call._

 _Why? You said something bad?_

Zeke frowns. _No. I just said that I'm happy if he's happy and he said thanks and he just... ended it. I guess he just called too... say that he's happy?_

 _XD I will never come to understand that friend of yours._

Tobias plops on his bed with his face down and nuzzles his face into his pillow like a cat before hugging it tightly to his chest.

For the first time since last, last Summer, the thought of her curious blue eyes brings a smile to his lips.


	18. Chapter 18: Half a Nightmare

**A/N: Hi! So... I'm still not quite happy with the quality of my writing in the earlier part of this chapter, but the deadline is here and I have to post something. I hope that it's not too bad though.**

 **It's kind of a filler chapter. Starting with a time lapse, this chapter doesn't serve a big purpose for the plot, but it rather gives you an insight on how Beatrice's life was like when she was younger. So _do_ remember that Helen is Beatrice and Hannah is Shauna.**

 **But I guess it _does_ contribute in the plot line since it shows how Beatrice is getting even more comfortable with Tobias?**

 **I'm not so sure... but I hope that it won't be too bad. Tell me what you guys think!**

* * *

 **Hope: Thanks ^^ Well, I'm actually seeing this story ending at chapter 28 or 29...**

 **Tobias will forever be a hopeless romantic. She hasn't exactly lose all her anger. And it's quite dangerous if she is forgetting about her anger even though she's not exactly forgiving him yet... I'm not saying that that _will_ happen. It's just a scenario really. But yeah, I think she's losing part of her anger or maybe she's trying to not think about the anger? And is just kind of trying to start anew as if they've never met each other?**

 **Honestly, Beatrice is harder to understand compared to Tobias. Tobias is a pretty straight-forward-ly emotional character who was abused and unloved and has confidence issues because of it. Beatrice is like... hurt and very vulnerable on the inside, but she's got this emotionless shell on the outside which she puts up to protect herself from getting hurt again. And she keeps on trying to make herself believe that she feels a certain way to keep herself from feeling hurt or sad and broken and weak. Which may work at first, but in the end, it is making her condition even worse since she doesn't even know and can't understand what she feels and what she should feel and what is best for her.**

 **Hopefully, Tobias will help her get over this and understand herself better (a.k.a. additional classes ;D).**

 **Thank you! Hope that you'll love how this story ends :)**

 **P/S: I'm currently working on the last few chapters.**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

The next two weeks passes by in a breeze. Her professor never making any personal interactions with her except for the kind smiles and nods they share when they meet each other outside of class and Fernando distancing himself from her makes Beatrice believes that it may be the best week in her university days so far. The only downside of things was when they had to cancel last week's additional class for Tobias had a lecturer's meeting on the Saturday, and Beatrice had too many assignments to complete that they can't hold it on the Sunday. Still though, her days had been very pleasant that she always finds herself laughing along to Myra's joke.

She smiles to herself as she leans her head onto the trunk of the willow tree, breathing in the occasional Autumn's wind. Closing her eyes and letting out a blissful sigh, Beatrice allows herself to let go of the real world, reaching slowly for Dreamland...

A distant twinkling chiming sound rings to her ears and a big smile lifts up her face.

"That's an ice-cream truck!" Hannah exclaims in excitement and they quickly run hand in hand after it.

With a chocolate flavoured ice cream for Helen and a coffee flavoured one for Hannah, the two girls run home in loud chatters and laughter, waving a hello to the occasional neighbours they meet across the street and leaving a pat on the head of their neighbour's horse which they really wish they could ride once they are 'old enough', as their parents say.

A muddy puddle catches Helen's sight and she instinctively jumps into it, splashing the murky water all over Hannah's jeans and soaking her shoes.

"Helen!" A deep voice scolds.

Her legs freeze and her heart skips a beat.

Andrew places his fists on his hips and frowns deeply at Helen.

"Umm..." She mumbles, bringing up a hand to give it a little wave. "Hi dad...?"

Andrew snatches the girl from the ground and swings her upside down, emitting merry laughter from the two girls.

"You, Helen Beatrice Prior, are one naughty little girl." He scolds as they walk towards a small wooden cabin they call their home. "Say sorry to your sister." He orders, purposely swinging his daughter to emphasise his 'anger'.

Helen tries to voice a form of apology, or a small excuse for it, but her head starts to feel a little light and heavy at the same time and it is making her feel flighty.

"Andrew!"

The three Priors look up to find a short blonde lady with her arms crossed over her chest blocking their access to the front door.

"Hey mommy!" Helen greets, still upside down, with a wide grin and a wave.

Natalie sighs, a small smile trying to escape her tight lips.

Her tight lips which he knows to be a clear sign of her frustration over him.

And a frustrated, tight-lipped Natalie is not something he likes to face.

So Andrew squats down and places Helen back on her feet. She sways slightly, almost falling if her dad didn't catch her.

"Come on kids, it's dinner time."

"Yay! Daddy's a kid!" Hannah cheers, clapping her hands madly.

"Hannah," Natalie huffs. "Go and call for your brother. He's studying in the garden as usual."

Natalie finds herself shaking her head with a small smile as Hannah skips her way to the backdoor while singing a song about her daddy being a kid- to Andrew's annoyance.

"She got that childish attitude from you." Natalie reminds her husband as she leans down to examine her blonde daughter's red face. "Are you okay sweetie?" She asks with worry.

Helen gives her mother a thumbs up and one big toothy grin before scurrying towards the table in a sway-ish, zig-zag-ish motion, almost running into the thin table leg with her very unstable steps as her head still feels very funny.

"Finish your dinner quick kids. You need to go to sleep early tonight since we are going to the park tomorrow." Andrew announces as they dig into their mom's gnocchi with Marinara dish.

The table erupts into cheers of joy which soon turns into questions of "Are we going to have a picnic?" and "Can we have ice creams?" and "Can I bring my scooter?"

But their parents only supply them with cryptic answers before Andrew announces that if they ask one more question, then the plan is cancelled.

A low buzz of silence hums through the house as the kids quietly and quickly finish their meal then run up to their bathroom, fighting for the sink to brush their teeth first.

"Hannah, let Helen brush her teeth first. She reached the sink earlier than you did." Caleb scolds, pulling a pouting Hannah back so Helen can finish brushing her toothpaste covered teeth in peace.

Helen shoots a victorious grin at Hannah as she rinses the bubbly toothpaste from her mouth, half of the water she tries to pour into her mouth dripping down her chin instead, soaking her nightgown.

 _Soaking..._

"Oh no!" Helen exclaims, her eyes opening wide. "My shoes are soaked. How am I going to the park tomorrow?"

"Go and dry it on the heater." Hannah suggests, earning a scold from their brother. "No! Dad always tell us that it's dangerous to do that remember?"

"But I really need to dry it!" Helen whines with a pout, crossing her short arms across her chest.

Caleb simply sighs with a small shake of his head as he steps up to the sink to brush his teeth.

Hannah tiptoes to Helen and whispers into her ear, "Go now, he won't notice."

Helen nods and sneaks out of the room. She chews into the insides of her cheeks and squints her eyes slightly as she tries to unlock the front door without emitting a single noise.

The locks click out of place.

Helen quickly swings the door open, pulls her shoes in, shuts the door and runs towards the house heater. She turns it on and drops her shoes on it before tip-toeing her way back to her room.

A hand lands on her shoulder and she quickly whirls around with a slight jump.

Her mom cocks an eyebrow. "Not in bed yet?" She questions to which Helen replies with a shy smile.

Natalie sighs, lifting the girl into her arms and carrying her towards the children's room. Helen nuzzles her face into her mom's chest, breathing in the sweet smell her mom always carries.

The smell always reminds her of pancakes and fruits.

Her father said that he loves the smell too.

He said that the pancake smell comes from her favourite vanilla cologne and the fruity smell probably comes from her apple scented shampoo.

"Mommy?" She whispers, face still snuggled into her mother's chest.

"I love you, mommy." Helen yawns, her eyes slowly drooping close.

Her mother smiles at the little blonde figure and places a kiss on her hair. "I love you too, Helen. No matter whatever which happens, just know and remember that I love and will always love you sweetie."

Helen smiles and closes her eyes.

 _Fire..._

All that she can see is fire.

Helen screams, trying to find a way out of the inferno to no avail.

"Helen?"

She quickly turns around, seeing her mom behind her. Helen runs towards her mother.

"Stop Helen. Don't come with me." Natalie orders, backing away from her daughter.

"Mommy don't leave me!"

Her mother doesn't reply.

"Mommy don't go please!"

A large rafter collapse from the roof and Helen screams in terror as she watches how the fire from the piece of wood catches onto her mother's clothes, igniting her into flames.

"Mommy!"

"Mommy!"

"Miss Prior!"

"Miss Prior!"

"Miss Prior, please wake up, Tr-!" Tobias jumps slightly when the girl sits up with a start. Her wide blue eyes dart around until they land on his.

She backs away from him and hugs her knees tightly to her chest.

"Hey... you okay?" He asks, reaching a hand out to stroke her head.

But she scurries away from his touch and closes her eyes, rocking herself in a rapid pace as her hands shake.

Beatrice can't understand it.

She hasn't had that dream for such a long time, she _knows_ that half of it isn't real... Why is it getting back at her.

Tobias bites into the insides of his lower lip. If this happened a year ago, he would have just pulled the blonde girl into his arms and hold her tight until she stops shaking. Now, that choice is strictly out of the way and he is left helpless and clueless as to what exactly should he do.

A few minutes pass by before she finally looks up at him, the panic and terror no longer screaming from her eyes.

Tobias subconsciously breathes out a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine." She pipes out in a small voice.

Tobias pulls out a piece of chocolate from his bag and offers it to her but she shakes her head.

"Would you like to talk about it, maybe?"

Another shake of her head and they both drift off into an awkward silence.

"You know," Tobias starts slowly, picking at the grass by his feet. "I think the garden is a bad place for you."

A frown shapes Beatrice's lips. "Why?"

"Because every time I find you in a garden, you're always screaming or crying or with a very tear stricken face."

Beatrice pouts a little, turning her head away from her professor. "The garden is just a place where I tend to feel safe enough to let my emotions run free. So the worst and the best of my emotions tend to strike me when I'm in a garden."

Professor Eaton shrugs before he scoots closer towards her, leaning onto the willow tree. He closes his eyes and leans his head back, letting out a soft sigh through his nose while his jaws stay clenched.

Beatrice wonders if the muscles on his jaw line contract out of stress, anger or just simply deep thought.

His eyelids lift up and he turns to look at her.

She doesn't look away this time.

"I waited for you, you know."

Beatrice tilts her head to one side. "What... do you mean?"

Professor Eaton sighs and turns himself to face her, crossing his legs and tucking his feet in. "Saturday, library, additional class, article on love... that is supposed to ring some bells."

Her eyes widen. "Ahh..."

Professor Eaton nods, echoing her own words in a mocking tone. "Ahh..." He teases, earning a scowl from his student.

"I think our Saturday classes are cursed or something." Beatrice grumbles as she wipes the palm of her hands on her face. "It's either we have to cancel it since we have other plans, or one of us will accidentally fall asleep and miss the whole thing."

"At least I woke up at five, Prior. It is already thirty minutes past seven and you only woke up after I screamed into your ears."

Her eyebrows shoot up. "It's _that_ late?"

Professor Eaton nods, crawling his way out of the leaves and pulling her along with him.

" _That_ late and you have successfully made your Gladwing friend panic over how you probably fell into another asthma attack and she said that you might end up dead before any of us can find you and she pleaded to me to go and look for you despite the fact that I have already repeatedly told her that I was- don't forget your scarf, Miss Prior- that I was looking for you."

Beatrice crouches under the leaves to pick up her scarf. "You know, I'm not that bad." She mutters, slinging her bag over her shoulder and throwing her blue knitted scarf on her neck.

"I told her that. But you know how your friend is like."

Beatrice sighs dramatically as she shakes her head- bringing one end of her scarf around her neck twice.

Tobias pauses in his steps and frowns, eyeing how her hand is twirling the scarf around her neck again and again.

"You know..." He comments. "You're going to strangle yourself like that."

She huffs in agitation, dropping her hands to her side and halting in her steps. "Well it just won't stick otherwise."

"It's not like it _sticks_ anyway."

Beatrice rolls her eyes once more as she tries to keep her scarf on her neck without needing to 'strangle herself'.

She jumps back when her professor holds her hands in his to stop her.

"Let me do that." He offers, prying the scarf from her fingers.

Beatrice involuntarily shivers as the cold wind hits her neck and runs down her spine when he pulls the scarf away from her. The muscles in his jaw seems to clench as he folds the scarf into half and places it around her neck. His forehead creases and he pulls in his lower lip between his teeth as he tightens the scarf around her.

His eyes glance up to hers.

"Watch how it's done, Miss Prior." He whispers, eyes lingering on hers for another second before they shift back down.

Beatrice gulps once before she watches how his long fingers pick up the two ends of her scarf and slides it through the loop created by the fold. The scarf starts to hug her neck snuggly as he pulls the two ends of the scarf slightly.

"Is that too tight?"

She looks up at him, eyes pulled deep into his.

She shakes her head slightly and clears her throat. "No. It's fine." Beatrice replies, taking a step back. "Thanks." She smiles.

Professor Eaton nods a little, but he turns to look down quickly, and Beatrice can't identify his emotions as he clenches his jaw tightly once more. She buries her hands in her pockets before they both resume their walk towards the exit gate. Catching a sight of it however, Tobias feels himself wishing that the gate can magically distance itself from them by a few metres- or kilometres for all he care. For he knows that just as they reach that gate, he needs to bid his farewell to his student and they will part ways and he won't be able to see her again until next Monday.

 _And next Monday is so long... It's like... in a few more hours and a whole day…._

Maybe he can walk her all the way to her residence hall?

"Thanks anyway."

Tobias looks up at his student, the tensed look fading, but his eyebrows start to furrow. "You mentioned that."

"No, I mean... for waking me up... you know?"

Tobias nods slowly, chewing the insides of his lower lip as he opens the gate.

"Was the dream something about... you know, Al?" He asks, unable to hold down the curiosity.

His student shakes her head. "It's something a little bit more traumatising."

"Oh... A real-life experience or just a random nightmare?"

Beatrice shrugs, walking ahead of her professor who seems to be following her still. "A mix of both."

Professor Eaton slowly nods before they both settle down into another silence as they walk on the brick pavement, each step leading them closer and closer to her destination.

And then the destination is there, dawning down on them like a dark shadow...

It's not like the sky is that bright any longer, but it seems to... darken things.

"So this is where you stay?" Tobias asks as they stop in front of the tall building.

 _Siddall Hall_. He reads from a blue signboard.

She nods her head, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Hey, can I have your phone number?"

Beatrice looks quizzically at her professor. "My... phone number?"

He scratches the back of his neck. "Umm... yeah... you know, so when if I need to make changes on our Saturday classes or something I won't have to look for you all over the university or like keep you waiting like last Saturday and we can just... you know? Have an easier and handier means of communication or something?..."

A grin slowly creeps onto her lips as his neck starts to flush into a red shade and Tobias doesn't know if he should feel offended or pleased by it.

He feels both.

"Sure." She says, taking his phone from his outstretched hand so she can key her number in it then passes it back to him. "So umm..." She drawls, gloved hands shoved back into her pockets. "I guess I should... go?"

Tobias bites the insides of his lower lip. _Find an excuse Tobias, find an excuse..._

"Yeah but... would you like to... have dinner maybe?"

She seems to give it a thought, looking down at her brown boots and chewing the insides of her cheeks before looking back up at him. "Well... I'd like to, but I think I owe Myra a long apology for my disappearance."

Tobias slumps his shoulders but tries not to frown. He sports a smile in fact, but Beatrice can still see the disappointment in his eyes.

"Maybe next time?" She suggests, trying to cheer him up.

He smiles a little more at that. "Maybe." He replies as they both stand on the brick pavement, two feet away from each other, gloved hands in their pockets, red flesh trapped in between their teeth, brains trying to look for a proper farewell to bid to each other and still, they wait for the other to leave first.

"You know, your friend is waiting for you." Tobias speaks out, nodding his head towards the direction of the tall residence hall.

"Yeah... she's waiting..." Beatrice replies, still not making a move. "I think I should go now."

"Yeah, maybe..."

Another break of silence.

"You want me to accompany you?" He suggests, right hand scratching the back of his neck.

"Nah... my room is on the sixth floor. That's a long trip. And quite... high?"

Tobias smirks a little. "I won't mind."

Beatrice bites her lower lip, not quite agreeing but not disagreeing either as she silently walks towards the mirrored building. Her ears perk up like a deer as it tries to find the sound of a crouching lion and she finds herself smiling when she hears her professor's footsteps treading closer and closer and closer until the strong musky smell reaches her nostrils.

She used to find the smell alluring. Alluring, comforting and kind of hot. Now though, now it's simply comforting. Comforting and it makes her feels safe. It radiates a deep sense of comfort which reminds her of all things nice and warm. Like a crackling fireplace in the living room on a very cold Winter's day.

Just like home.

And home _is_ where the heart is, right?

...And her heart is with _him_?

Standing at the front of her door, they again face the dilemma of who leaves first. And so with their gloved hands in their pockets, red flesh in between their teeth, they both fall into another round of bothering silence before Beatrice comes up with an idea.

"You know, you should probably leave now." She tells him. "This is the girl's floor and you probably shouldn't be here."

"You know? As a professor, I don't think I should be accompanying you to your room in the first place," He retorts with a smirk to which Beatrice smiles and rolls her eyes.

A loud crash resonates from the room beside them.

"You know, I should probably check that out." She says, biting her lip as she digs her hand in her bag, hunting for her keys.

She jams it into the keyhole and quickly swings the door open.

"Beatrice! Oh my goodness, Beatrice I was so worried!"

Tobias chuckles from the shadows as he watches how his student gets herself engulfed into a tight hug. He laughs silently when she gasps for breath as her Gladwing friend encage her in a tight hold.

"Good night..." He whispers softly, silently walking deeper into the shadows. He stops and turns around. "Good night Tris..."

"You're sure you're fine?" Myra asks Beatrice, gripping her shoulders.

"Honestly Myra, I'm fine. Like I said, I just overslept. Don't get too worried about it."

Myra smiles at her, sporting a shy smile as she lets go of Beatrice's shoulder which she might have held too tightly.

Beatrice turns around and peaks out of the door, looking for a certain blue eyed man in the shadows.

She finds none.

"What are you looking for?" Myra asks popping her head out of the room.

Beatrice shakes her head at Myra, brushing the question off but lingers at the door as Myra walks away to pick up the things she accidentally dropped a couple of minutes ago.

Beatrice pulls her keys out of the keyhole, turning her head to look at the empty hallway once more.

"Good night..." She whispers, biting her lower lip. "Good night Tobias."


	19. Chapter 19: Pan-Cakes

**A/N: Howdy! I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit late, but some things went out of schedule and yeah... I'm late.**

 **Anyway, I tried a scene-switching kind of writing in this chapter since I felt like it suits the chapter. I hope that I didn't make it confusing for you to understand, but if it _is_ confusing, don't be shy to voice it out :)**

 **P?S: I am having a pan-cake breakfast right now :D**

* * *

 **Guest: ^^**

 **Incognito: Thank you! It's every fan-fiction writer's dream to be a published author. I do hope to be one someday. But I'll just enjoy my life as a fan-fiction writer for the time being. When I write, I want to throw my ideas on things out to the world, share my thoughts with other people. Writing is also a form of therapy for me. And it just makes me happy to have people reading my story and knowing that I am making some people happy with my story. And for now, that's kind of more than enough :)**

 **Thank you so much for taking your time to read and review!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

Three stars align themselves on the night sky— _Orion's belt_ , Tobias quickly notices. He maps out the rest of the Orion constellation, smiles to himself when he does and tries to see if he can find a planet amongst the very faint white dots splattered across the sky.

 _The scarf... the scarf had smelt, funnily enough, so very familiar._

 _The smell resembles the smell of amber and sandalwood..._

 _It almost smelt like his own cologne._

A small frown shapes his lips.

 _Why would the scarf be smelling of his cologne? It is **her** scarf and not his... _

_Unless..._

A small smile creeps onto his face as he sits down on a nearby bench.

 _Unless, of course, she has been missing him so horrendously much that she had to comfort herself with his scent._

His tongue darts out to his dry lips once before he pulls his lower lip in, trapping it between his teeth.

 _And that's why she wears that scarf all the time..._

Tobias places his hands on the back of his head, and leans back, closing his eyes temporarily as a soft breeze blows-

A black tablet rings loudly and vibrates itself in his pocket. Picking it up with a huff, he gives a curt "Eaton." as his reply before his head shoots up when he hears the familiar voice from the other end.

"Geez, Tobias. I thought that you've gotten yourself dumped or something." Zeke jokes when Tobias apologises for not reading the caller id. "So how's it going with the fair lady of Cincinnati?"

Tobias laughs at the given nickname, sighing through a wide smile when he replays the events which ran through the past hour.

"The sound of that sigh already sounds good mate. I won't be surprised if you have kissed her."

Tobias laughs, blushing red this time though. "Come on Zeke. You took like seven or eight months after my dad decided to not force me to marry Shauna for you to confess your love to her."

"Well, you seem to have always been living on the fast road. Last time I heard, you fell in love with a certain blonde girl at first sight and it took you less than a month to be totally infatuated and completely smitten by her."

Tobias rolls his eyes at Zeke's retort- thankful that his friend can't see how he is probably very much flushing right now.

"Proves that I'm not a coward." Tobias counters to which Zeke just laughs out loud in reply.

"Anyway mate, I've got a good news for you."

Tobias's eyes light up with interest.

"Shauna's birthday is coming soon."

Tobias quirks an eyebrow. "And how is that supposed to be good news to me?"

"Come on Tobias! If it is Shauna's birthday, then it automatically means that it is also Tris's, they're twins!"

His heart leaps up and pumps erratically as a thousand and one "perfect ways of celebrating a birthday" ideas pops up onto his head, each of them lit up with LED lights, begging for him to choose them instead of the other.

He closes his eyes and bites his lips.

 _A night on the balcony with some late supper before they go stargazing._

 _Ice skating._

 _Dinner at some high-end Italian restaurant._

 _A night drive through the city._

 _A Ferris wheel ride._

"Hey, you're still with me?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Tobias nods, the insides of his lower lip still trapped between his teeth. "When is the date exactly by the way?"

"Next Sunday, twenty-fifth of October." Zeke replies with a light chuckle at the sound of Tobias's breathlessly excited voice.

"Yeah thank you so much, Zeke. I owe it all to you." Tobias replies, still a little high with excitement.

CCO

Beatrice pulls the curtains away from the window and swings it open. Her eyes flutter close as the chilly morning breeze blows lightly on her face.

"Goodness Beatrice, shut that window. It's a cold day today." Myra grumbles from her bed.

Sighing softly, Beatrice pulls the window close before plopping down on the floor, chin resting on her fists.

Myra eyes Beatrice with suspicion when her cheeks suddenly redden and her lower lip slides in between her teeth.

"Beatrice?" Myra asks to which Beatrice hums in response.

"You're okay?"

Beatrice looks at Myra with wide open eyes, nodding her head twice before her face falls into her hands.

"You know what?" Beatrice asks, looking up from her palms. "Let's make some pancakes."

Myra's eyes light up in joy. "Sounds great." She agrees, stretching her legs at the edge of her bed before she rushes towards the loo. "You can go down first, I need to brush my teeth," Myra informs Beatrice just as she closes the door.

CCO

"Crap," Beatrice mutters as she rummages the top cupboard and still can't find that jar of honey.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Beatrice glances over her shoulder to look at Myra before digging her head back into the cupboard. "Our honey... I can't seem to find it."

Myra frowns, joining Beatrice on the counter as they try to search for the honey in another one of the high cupboards which the both of them can hardly reach. "I am pretty sure that we still had some left over the last time we made pancakes." Myra mutters.

Huffing in irritation, Beatrice jumps down from the counter and opens the refrigerator door to get a block of butter. "Must be stolen," She concludes, placing the butter on a plate.

Myra slowly climbs down from the counter, placing a hand on Beatrice.

"You know, it's not good to think bad of others," She says, fishing out some money from her pocket. "I'll go and buy some new ones."

Beatrice gives a small smile but shakes her head. "You can go and buy a new one, but let me pay for it."

Myra opens her mouth to object but Beatrice reasons out that it is fairer anyway, pressing some bank notes into Myra's hand.

"I'll just prepare the batter while that."

Myra nods her head in agreement and leaves the kitchen.

"Oh and Myra?" Beatrice calls to which Myra takes a few steps back and turns to look at her with raised eyebrows.

"Thanks." Beatrice smiles before cracking some eggs into a mixing bowl and humming a very cheery tune.

Myra's eyebrows raise by an inch. _Someone seems super happy._ She notes before rushing towards the nearby store to grab the cheapest jar of honey.

CCO

The man lurks in the shadows, a cigarette in between his lips, waiting for her to walk past the alley on her way home. Hearing her footsteps, he drops the ignited stick to the ground, steps on it and readies himself.

 _Just a few more steps..._

 _Wait for a few more steps..._

 _Just one more step..._

 _Wait for it..._

He jumps out of the shadows, clamping his hand onto her lips and holds her chest with his other arm, pulling her back with him.

"Oof!" he grunts as she kicks him, hitting his shin bone.

"Fuck, calm down Myra, it's just me." He seethes through gritted teeth, holding and rubbing his lower leg.

Myra's eyes grow wide when she sees a familiar pair of brown eyes and a purple bruise at the corner of his lips. "Fernando?" She asks before breaking into a million apologies and pulling his right leg into her hands in an attempt to help him out.

Fernando brushes her hands off of him, claiming that he is fine and her kick couldn't even hurt him that much.

"No, let me see it." Myra insists, pushing him down to make him sit and sliding the ends of his black jeans up to his knees, revealing a very red mark.

"Now you wait here while I go and get some ice for that bruise." She orders, standing up and breaking into a sprint.

"And don't you dare move, Fernando Wolt!" She announces once more, a finger pointed at him, before she runs out of his sight.

CCO

Beatrice feels her phone vibrating in her pocket and she quickly rushes to the sink to clean the oil of the butter from her hands.

She frowns at the unknown number as it goes to her list of missed call before it rings again shortly after.

She picks up the call and tentatively brings the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" She asks.

"Hey- umm... Morning, Miss Prior."

A small smile creeps onto her face.

"Morning, Professor. How's your night? Did you have a good sleep?"

"Oh yes Miss Prior. I had a pleasant rest, thank you very much. I hope that it was the same for you? No bad dreams?"

"Oh my dreams were very pleasant." She replies, quickly biting her lower lip at the thought of her dream.

 _Very, very pleasant._

"That's good to hear, Miss Prior. Now I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you up to anything today?"

Beatrice frowns. "Well... yeah... I usually use my Saturdays to finish my assignments or just do some revisions and recaps of the week and rest on Sundays. But since you took up my Saturdays, I'm not so free today."

"But I didn't use your Saturday yesterday, Miss Prior."

"Well..." She drawls fidgeting with the tips of her fingers. "Yesterday was... a kind of an accidental mess up of plans, Professor Eaton. I didn't exactly mean to... do what I did."

Tobias chuckles at her choice of words as he leans onto the blue signboard. The words 'Siddall Hall' in white letters hanging above him.

"But you can, perhaps join me for some biscuits and coffee for breakfast?" He asks, scratching the back of his neck.

The line goes silent for a moment, and a moment too long.

 _Was that an inappropriate question for him to ask?_

 _Was he being a little bit too... unprofessional?_

 _Crap professionalism. He's really bad at it._

CCO

"Ouch! Not too hard!" Fernando scolds just as Myra lightly touches the clothed bundle of ice onto his forming bruise.

"Stop being so fussy, Fernando." Myra retorts, rolling her eyes at his childishness. "It's not even that painful I'm sure."

"Tell me that when someone kicks you in the shin with the sharp end of their Autumn boots.

"Well that's your fault for pouncing on me. What were you thinking anyway? You just avoided us for two weeks then pounce on me like a kidna-"

"Do you think I _can_ approach you when Beatrice is being so stuck up after she has just fucked her beloved e-"

Fernando freezes in shock, lightly placing his hand on the burning sensation on his right cheek.

Myra immediately coils back, holding her red palm.

 _Violence is never the answer. She swore to that line. She pledged herself to never hurt a single soul after seeing what happened when she slaps another man._

An angry glint sparkles in Fernando's eyes and she springs up to her feet, but Fernando catches onto her hand.

She doesn't dare to look at him in the eyes.

She casts her gaze down.

"What is it with you girls and hitting me in the face?" Fernando jokes, rubbing his reddish cheek. "It's not a punching bag for god's sake."

Myra stays quiet, hands clutched tightly together and legs still ready to break into another sprint.

Fernando breathes out a long sigh, pushing himself up and limps slightly towards the terrified Myra, pulling her hands in his. "I'm sorry, alright?" He apologises, looking straight into her eyes- which looks more like amber than brown as the morning sun shines down on them. "I didn't mean to say that, it just... slipped out of my tongue."

Myra bites her lower lip.

"You shouldn't have." She pipes in a small voice. "If you were telling me the truth when you said that you and Beatrice are close friends, you should be more sensitive to her feelings. By now, you should have known what Beatrice is like. She's not one who just... throws herself onto another man. She has a much higher principle."

Fernando scoffs and rolls his eyes. "I don't know about you, but the fact that she can be so comfortable around him after what he did to her definitely screams otherwise."

"Fernando, you can't just judge when you don't know the history between them."

Huffing a breath of annoyance, Fernando crosses his arms and looks up, away from her eyes, holding his chin up high to Myra's irritation.

"Anyway Fernando, you don't have to avoid the both of us just because of her, I am not the one who hit you in the face."

He scoffs.

"Fernando, you get what I meant. Now do be a little more courteous and explain to me why you decided to pull me into this back alley so that I can return to Beatrice and give her this jar of honey."

CCO

"Hey... you're still there?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Beatrice replies. "I was just putting on my earphones just now."

Tobias sighs in relief.

"Now what was it you were saying?"

She hears him nervously laughing on the other end before pulling in a long breath. "I... was thinking if you might want to grab some coffee?"

Chewing the insides of her cheeks as she slowly pours a ladle of pancake batter onto her sizzling pan, her shoulders slump down and a puff of breath escapes her nose.

 _She shouldn't have felt like making pancakes._

"Well... It's not that I don't want to, professor. It's just that... I am already making breakfast for me and Myra- or Gladwing as you call her." Beatrice informs, frowning when she suddenly realises that it has been past twenty minutes and Myra is still not back.

"Oh... Pancakes I presume?"

"Yeah! How can you guess that?"

"Well, I can smell it from here."

"You can—wait... What?! Where are you, Professor Eaton?" She asks, looking out of the window, trying to look for a certain man in a brown coat and a blue beanie on his head.

"Well... I... uhh... I... might actually be standing near the residence hall..."

Beatrice mentally slaps the palm of her hand to her face. "Really now?"

She flips the well-fried pancake onto a clean plate and pours another ladle of batter onto the sizzling pan.

CCO

"Well yeah... about that... I was actually intending to ask you if that philosophy professor has been doing anything funny to Beatrice?"

Myra knits her eyebrows together. "What do you mean by funny?"

"Like... anything bad in particular."

"Well she hasn't complained about anything so far and as far as I can see, they're faring pretty well. In fact, I think that Professor Eaton really is sincere about helping her out and they're doing pretty well together."

Fernando clenches his jaw.

"And when you think about it, I can really see how they were attracted to each other."

He fists his hands.

"They share common interests and really seem comfortable with each other's company."

He shuts his eyes tightly, a bomb in his heart is ready to explode.

"He really cares for her, you can see it in his eyes and in his nervous smiles. And Beatrice to him... They're good for each other."

The cloth of ice falls to her lap. She jumps slightly as the freezing sensation sweeps through her thigh, looking up at the limping figure marching away from her.

"Fernando?"

"Fernando?!"

"Fernando!"

Mya frowns, holding her fingers to her lips as she watches her friend limping deeper into the dark alley.

 _Did I say something wrong?_

CCO

"Well then, next time I guess?"

Beatrice nods. "Yeah, maybe next time. I promise that I'll not fall asleep next Saturday."

Tobias laughs, pushing himself away from the blue signboard. He takes a step forward, pauses, a step back. Then two steps forward, pauses... and back all the way to the signboard, holding its pole in a tight fist.

 _Will she mind if he runs to the kitchen, wherever the hell it is located inside that building, and grab the pancakes she fried for breakfast?_

 _Will it be too unprofessional?_

 _Damn how he misses those pancakes._

Well damn, you're being immature, Eaton.

She's not your wife or something who cooks breakfast for you.

Like... _early in the morning, waking up to a warm bed but with no one beside you. Going down to the kitchen to find a short girl, blonde hair tied up in a messy bun and petite body scandalously covered with his t-shirt frying pancakes while she hums a-_

Wherever the hell did _that_ come from, Eaton?

"What I want you to promise, Miss Prior," He speaks, shaking his head as he walks away from the blue signboard, not turning back this time. "Is to remember to finally write that article I told you to."

She laughs through the other end of the line- but the nervous note in it doesn't go unnoticed.

 _She most definitely hasn't written it down._

"I'll try," She replies, avoiding his request— _that sneaky girl._

"Promise, Miss Prior."

"Honestly, I promise that I'll try to get it done."

"No, promise that you _will_ get it done."

"Fine, fine..." She surrenders, rolling her eyes as if he can see it. "I promise that I _will_ get it done, happy?"

"Very," He replies, beaming proudly as he ends the call.

CCO

He needs to come up with something.

Fernando kicks a pebble into the water.

He can't let those two get too close to each other.

Fernando kicks another pebble which misses the pond just by a few inches. Landing on the grass at the other side of the pond instead.

 _That stupid professor can't have her, he isn't worth her._

Fernando picks up a few pebbles, throwing it with much more force and yet again, missing his aim.

 _That professor abused her for goodness' sake!_

 _He is not and will never be worth her time!_

 _I am supposed to be the one she falls in love with!_

Fernando picks up a larger pebble, throwing it with all the energy he can muster and watches as it breaks through the surface of the pond. The ducks quack loudly in protest of his act.

 _And no one can stop me from getting what I want._


	20. Chapter 20: The Way to a Lady's Heart

**A/N: Hello everyone! I am so sorry for being one day late for I kind of forgot to edit this chapter until my phone alerted me that it was update day yesterday. (Marvel movies marathon are bad distractions.) So this chapter is quite short, but I am thinking of updating like around Tuesday or Wednesday.**

 **It took me quite a while to finish this chapter because I had to come up with a love article for Beatrice in order for me to get the title of it. The title will be featured in this chapter, but the article won't make its appearance yet :)**

 **The story is starting to get exciting and I am buzzing with excitement :D**

* * *

 ** _*There are a lot of readers who reviewed under the name 'Guest' from the last chapter. So I am going to reply the reviews from the earliest one to the latest._**

 ** _..._**

 **Guest: Thanks! Glad to know that you're loving it. Go Fourtris! :D**

 **...**

 **Guest: Thank you! I'll try to keep up with my once a week update schedule and not get distracted next time :)**

 **...**

 **Khansa: Hi! It's nice to meet new readers!**

 **:D I'll try to keep the quality of the story as best as I can. Do tell me if there is anything which you find unsatisfying in this or any of the future chapters :)**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **...**

 **Hope: Hello! I'm fine,** ** _thank you. How are you?_**

 **Zeke adds in life to my stories :D And it seems like I always end up having Zeke being the peacemaker between those two. Maybe he's the only one who's rational enough to look through those stubborn heads XD**

 **Oh yes, Fernando is going to cause a big problem. He is going to hit the bridge of their relationship like a meteor!**

 **Thank you so much for the link. It does help me out a little. It definitely gives me a clearer idea of how to write it :)**

 **Good to hear that you've found the meaning of Arbutus. The flower will be playing some big roles in this chapter and the few ones to come :D I'm jealous of you. I have never seen an arbutus flower in real life. Your aunt must have a lovely garden.**

 **Yay! Thank you for the review! I must say that your reviews are one of the ones which I always anticipate every time I update.**

 **...**

 **Guest: Thank you!**

 **...**

 **Guest: XD Thank you for waiting. I'll try to update quicker next time ;)**

 **...**

 **Manasi: Hi! I've missed you so much! Hope that everything is fine and well there despite the hecticness of it :)**

 **Replying to your review on Chapter 12: Listen to Your Heart, that chapter will forever be one of my personal favourites :) Especially the memories it carries with it.**

 **Replying to your review on Chapter 13: Forgetting is Never the Way, that is one interesting scene to write... Yeah, I kind of got tired of Christina actually. No offense to the character, it's just personal preferences I think. In fact, I've messed up her relationship with Tris in Acacia and it's not healed yet.**

 **Replying to your review on Chapter 15: Tu Es Mignonne, the rain scene was meant to sound dream-like, but it isn't actually a dream. And about Fernando, well... you have to wait and see :D**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

 _How about chocolates?_ Tobias types hurriedly on his phone before tapping the send button.

A message pops up immediately after. _Go and ask her yourself. Do you think I know her more than you do?_

Tobias frowns as he types a reply. _But you're the casanova expert._

Zeke: _Seriously Tobias?_

Tobias: _Well..._

Tobias slumps on the chair, pushing and pulling himself back and forth.

Edward huffs a breath and clamps his hands over his ears to block out the sound of the squealing tyres.

Another idea pops up into his head and Tobias quickly types it down. _Maybe you can ask Shauna? She should know a lot about her. That's what twins are like right? They know each other well. So she should know what she will like :)_

Tobias waits for a reply to pop up, watching the clock at the top right corner of his phone changes from three in the evening to a minute past three, to two minutes past three, and until three minutes past three. Frustrated by the lack of reply, he places his phone down and resumes marking his student's assignment from yesterday's class- still picking up his phone to see if he somehow missed the message alert tone and he has actually received a reply.

"Honestly Eaton..." Mayhem huffs from his desk, face planted deep in between his elbows. "Are you texting your girlfriend or something?"

Tobias scowls at him but keeps his mouth silent.

 _He is not obligated to answer that self-righteous Bearcat._

The highly anticipated ding resonates around the lecturer's room and Tobias lunges for his phone like a cat on a mouse.

His shoulders slump when he reads the reply.

 _Go. Ask. Her. Your. Self._

Tobias scowls at his phone, throwing it back onto his desk.

He can't just go and ask her... That ruins the whole idea of a surprise.

He huffs a breath and leans back onto the chair, hands clasped behind his head.

 _It must be something which she will appreciate._

 _Something which she will treasure._

"But just what will be something which she will lov..."

 _Love..._

 _Devotion..._

"Hey Edward."

Edward slams his face on his desk. "What?" He snaps

"Where is the nearest florist from here?"

Edward raises his head up and cocks an eyebrow. _This is very interesting._ "I have no clue but I think the dean may know. Heard that she's a big fan of flowers."

And indeed she is. For soon, Tobias has to cram his head with a detailed description of different flower shops in town for different types of flowers. He presses his lips together into a thin line and knits his eyebrows together.

 _Which florist is she talking about again?_

"Hold it. Are you talking about the one near Clifton avenue or the one near the Paul Brown Stadium?"

The dean looks at him with a peculiar face. "No, I'm talking about the flower shop I went to in Africa several years ago."

Tobias slaps the heel of his hand to his forehead.

"Look, I just need to know where can I find a flower shop in town, the nearest possible, which sells arbutus."

The dean looks at him in awe. "Mr. Eaton, are you planning to gift the arbutus to a lover?"

"Well..."

"I must say I am amazed by your knowledge of the language of flowers."

Tobias blinks his eyes at the dean.

"Nowadays, young lads like you would only go for roses of all colours when they are conveying their love for a girl. But you, professor, you choose the one flower of undying love and eternal devotion. There's no other type of flower that truly depicts the true meaning of devotion and love like the arbutus. You, professor, are a true romantic. I am jealous of this girl who has captured your heart. She must be very lucky."

Tobias bites the insides of his lower lip as his cheeks start to redden.

"And for your question, I do know the perfect store for you to get those flowers from. If you can just hold a second while I look for the florist's business card? It has the address of the flower shop written on it."

"My pleasure." Tobias replies, tapping the tips of his fingers together as he watches the dean looking through her name card folder.

"Aha!"

Tobias jumps in his seat at the sudden exclamation.

"Here is the one I am looking for. I will write down the address for you since I would like to keep this card for future references. Do you mind that?"

"Not at all." Is his reply.

The dean carefully writes the address down, making sure that she did not leave a number or wrote down the wrong road before handing the piece of paper to him.

"Here we go. I hope that you can find the flowers you need."

Tobias smiles at the address, standing up from his seat and bowing shortly at the dean. "Thank you very much. I am highly in debt of you."

"Oh don't bother about it young lad. It is always a pleasure to help out young lovebirds like you." She laughs, before calling him back just as he reaches the door. "Hold a second Mr. Eaton."

Tobias turns around, frowning when he reads the dean's name on the name stand on her desk.

"I am sorry if the question is a little bit too personal but... it is far away from Valentine's, so on what occasion is it that you are planning to gift these flowers to the girl. Is it your anniversary together?"

The right side of his lips curves upwards as he replies, "Oh no. It is her birthday."

The dean smiles a little as she watches him leave the room.

"A true romantic." She whispers, frowning a little at the end.

 _It's a pity that their love story won't end so well._

Maybe she can still change it?

CCO

"Ahh Miss Prior." Tobias 'greets' when his student approaches him as he sits on the windowsill. "Glad to see that you have finally decided to grace me with your presence."

Beatrice rolls her eyes. "Evening Professor Eaton." She says, taking a seat next to him. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

Tobias shakes his head a little. "Oh no, Miss Prior. I myself have just arrived. But I _have_ been waiting for your article on love."

Beatrice chews the insides of her cheeks as she pulls her bag onto her lap and unzips its main compartment to pull out her transparent file of articles and empty papers. She pulls one of the papers out and passes it to him.

"There isn't any word count specification right?"

She breathes out a sigh of relief when he shakes his head a no.

"Love: A Strength or a Weakness?" Professor Eaton presses his lips together and slowly nods his head. "Interesting title, Miss Prior." He comments.

"I... hope that you can read it later, actually."

Tobias cocks an eyebrow at the fidgeting lady. "And why is that?"

"Well... I just... feel nervous when you read my writing in front of me. Especially that one."

An amused grin starts to creep onto her professor's lips, flashing a thin line of white teeth.

 _Oh how great it'll be if she can just sink through the wooden panels of this window sill and hide there forever._

"Alright then." He replies. Beatrice lets out a breath of relief. "I'll read it tonight and return it to you next Monday, but before we begin our class today, I hope you don't mind me asking... what is the French translation of the words... devotion? And like... true? And also... symbol?"

 _Devotion, true, symbol...?_

Beatrice eyes her professor with suspicion. "What are you planning to do with those words this time around, professor?"

The professor just shrugs at her with a mischievous smirk. "No fault in learning new languages."

Still with her eyes squinted in suspicion, Beatrice tries to remember the French words she's learnt through the years and also the ones she read in her books Caleb gave her last year. "Well, 'devotion' is just 'devotion' with an accent on the letter 'e' and 'symbol' is still 'symbol'. But this 'true' you are looking for... is it 'true' as in 'the truth', or 'true' as in 'just'?"

"'True' as in 'sincere'." He replies with a firm nod.

"Well then it is 'vrai'."

"Can you maybe spell it out for me? Because I am not exactly sure what is an accent."

Beatrice presses her lips together to hold back her laughter as she pulls out her memo pad and writes down the three words for him.

"Oh and also maybe you can help me with the words 'as', as in the 'as' in the phrase 'as in', and also 'eternal'."

Knitting her eyebrows even further, Beatrice adds in the words 'éternelle' and 'comme' under the three previous words.

"Anything else?" She asks to which the professor smiles and shakes his head a no. He takes the paper with a wide smile, reading the small, careful writing again and again.

 _She curls up the tail of her 'y'._

"This will do great. Thank you, Miss Prior. I'm sure that you can apply to work as some French professor one day."

A small smile nudges her lips. She shakes her head with rolled eyes and keeps her memo pad back into her bag.

"So can we begin our class now?"

Tobias laughs as her eyes light up with eagerness. "Yes Miss Prior, we can begin now."

CCO

Fernando strolls through the aisles of books, hunting for that one book he needs when he a familiar voice reaches his ears.

The voice... it sounds like it's coming from somewhere behind the bookshelves.

Frowning, he pulls out a few books from the shelf in front of him to have a peak.

CCO

Tobias presses his lips together to hide his smile.

"No _really_ professor. That is a quote by the author of the Peanuts comic series, Charles M. Schulz."

"Well I can see why he'll say that considering the fact that he is a dog lover, but no, I don't believe that happiness is like a warm puppy."

His student rolls her eyes. "Well then, what's your happiness?"

A crooked smile shapes his lips.

 _You._

Tobias just shrugs.

CCO

Fernando stares at the scene before him with his mouth agape.

 _How could they- what are they- why are they..._

A million questions run through his mind, but none of them attains their answers. Fingers clenched in a fist, he brushes the questions away from his head in a sweep and marches towards the professor and his student.

CCO

"Come on professor... You've got to have your own definition of happiness." Beatrice queries, pushing her professor to get an answer out of his mouth. "You were the one who demanded me to define happiness several weeks ago."

The professor cocks an eyebrow. "Demanded?"

"Yes, you _demanded_ an answer and now I am _demanding_ for _you_ to define happiness."

He taps his forefinger on his chin, eyes shining with mischief as he hums in thought. "Well, it's hard for one to define happiness for happiness is just a state of mind, the way you view things. It doesn't exactly have a definitive explanation for it."

" _Professor..._ "

The professor throws his head in laughter, receiving a slap on his shoulder and an angry scowl from Beatrice as she presses her forefinger to her lips. "Keep it down, we're in a library." She whispers.

"Alright, alright, let me see..." He ponders, his laughter fading out, but his eyes still gleaming. "If Mr. Schulz said that happiness is a warm puppy... Then I will say that happiness is a warm hug from a certain mignonne blond-"

Beatrice punches him in his chest and tries hard to appear angry despite the smile on her face. He breaks into another fit of laughter—a silent one this time.

Beatrice shakes her head at him, still trying hard to hide her smile. "I don't think that is appropriate, Professor Eaton."

"Very inappropriate indeed."

The two of them whirl their heads to find a certain black-haired boy standing a few feet away from them with his arms crossed on his chest.


	21. Chapter 21: Cloud Talks

**A/N: Hey all! Thanks for sticking with me this far. It's been like what? Three months?**

 **Anyway, this chapter is kind of slow-ish, I think? I don't know, I'm quite sleepy right now... I had something which I wanted to write here, something quite important if I remember it correctly, but my brain is really not working well right now and my eyelids are dropping close.**

 **So I hope that you like this chapter and leave a review with your feedback in it, maybe? :)**

* * *

 **Guest: Glad to know that you love it!**

 **...**

 **Guest: Ahh... There's loads more drama to come ;) Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I wasn't sure on where should I end the chapter. And I decided like, "Hey! Why don't I give it a cliffhanging ending?" I've got to admit that it is kind of evil for me to do it, but yeah :D**

 **...**

 **Guest: Thanks :)**

 **...**

 **Guest: Thank you! :D For now, I am sticking to my once a week update schedule. But I might post some of the future chapters earlier than they should be posted if I feel like it :)**

 **...**

 **Hope: :) You are feeling things right ;) Thank you, I love my Zeke too! Ahh, that article... I hate Tobias for asking Beatrice to write that article. Because I had to write an article about love from her point of view, and it wasn't that easy. But I guess, if you put a lot of effort and dedication in something, it sure will pay off one day. So I have no regrets :) It will take a long time before you get to read the article though. A.K.A., Tobias is not going to read it anytime soon. Why? You'll see ;)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

 **I think I'll do one of those "previously... on Arbutus" things!**

* * *

 _Previously..._

 _On Arbutus..._

"Come on professor... You've got to have your own definition of happiness." Beatrice queries, pushing her professor to get an answer out of his mouth. "You were the one who demanded me to define happiness several weeks ago."

The professor cocks an eyebrow. "Demanded?"

"Yes, you _demanded_ an answer and now I am _demanding_ for _you_ to define happiness."

He taps his forefinger on his chin, eyes shining with mischief as he hums in thought. "Well, it's hard for one to define happiness for happiness is just a state of mind, the way you view things. It doesn't exactly have a definitive explanation for it."

" _Professor..._ "

The professor throws his head in laughter, receiving a slap on his shoulder and an angry scowl from Beatrice as she presses her forefinger to her lips. "Keep it down, we're in a library." She whispers.

"Alright, alright, let me see..." He ponders, his laughter fading out, but his eyes still gleaming. "If Mr. Schulz said that happiness is a warm puppy... Then I will say that happiness is a warm hug from a certain mignonne blond-"

Beatrice punches him in his chest and tries hard to appear angry despite the smile on her face. He breaks into another fit of laughter—a silent one this time.

Beatrice shakes her head at him, still trying hard to hide her smile. "I don't think that is appropriate, Professor Eaton."

"Very inappropriate indeed."

The two of them whirl their heads to find a certain black-haired boy standing a few feet away from them with his arms crossed on his chest.

* * *

"May I help you, Mr. Wolt?" Tobias asks, placing his feet on the ground and straightening his back, squaring his shoulders.

Fernando glares at him. "Why yes, yes you may help me by explaining what you are doing here, in a discreet corner of the library."

Beatrice palms her face and shakes her head in frustration.

"Fernando, can you stop being so uptight?" She huffs. "Professor Eaton is just giving me additional philosophy classes."

"In this corner?" Fernando questions, turning his attention towards Beatrice. "I and all other sane humans in this world will prefer the table at the front if our intention is to study."

"Well it seems like we are a rare species then." Professor Eaton retorts.

Beatrice wishes that she can hit the professor's head with a book from her bag as Fernando's tongue runs tangled for a moment before he glowers at him.

"Fernando, if you don't want to leave," she says, holding out a hand to him, her palms facing out. "Then I don't mind. Just don't bother our studies, please."

Fernando scoffs.

"Is this like Stockholm Syndrome?"

Beatrice stares agape at Fernando. "What?"

He marches right up to the professor and points a finger up at him. "What are you planning to do with Beatrice?"

"Help her, Mr. Wolt. I am planning to help her express her views better in her writing and at the same time, get a clearer understanding of what she wants in real life."

"Oh but I think you are just planning to corrupt her mind with all of your filthy thoughts and ideas."

"Well then I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid that none of those are written in my book of intentions."

"Don't pretend to be so pure, you're just looking for a naïve heart to break, aren't you?"

Tobias's eyes harden.

 _Naïve?_

 _Helen Beatrice Prior's heart is naïve?_

 _Does this kid even know who she is? What she has seen? What she has been forced to live through?_

 _She is wise, she is sophisticated, she is experiences, she is matured- **naïve** is a **disgrace**! _

"Naïve?" Tobias asks him, cocking an eyebrow.

Fernando tilts his chin up. "Yes. And that's why you are taking chances on her. Torturing her life and degrading her in class then suddenly pretending to be her saviour by saving her from her near death and now _helping_ her with her writing- what kind of twisted mind do you have, _professor_?"

Tobias pushes himself up from the windowsill.

Fernando takes a step back.

"What kind of twisted, delusional world do you live in, kid?"

Tobias takes another step forward.

Fernando's back hits the sharp edges of a bookshelf.

"Do you believe that you're the chosen one, the only good guy in this world and everyone who goes against you are replicas of the devil?"

Tobias clenches his fingers into a fist.

 _One more word from that stupid mouth of yours and I swear that I will-_

"Well-"

"Stop it!"

A small pair of hands clutches onto his forearm, pulling his fist down from hitting the boy's face.

"Tobias, stop it..." She whispers, voice almost trembling.

His eyes flicker up from their hands to her grey-blue eyes. Her eyes which carries a look of anger and something... something soft.

 _It almost looks like concern and worry..._

 _For me... or for the boy?_

Two librarians march towards the three of them, telling them to leave if they can't keep their silence in the library. Tobias apologises for their misbehaviour, promises that it won't happen again, and pulls Beatrice out of the library with him.

Fernando does not dare to follow them this time.

CCO

Beatrice Prior hugs her knees tightly to her chest with her face in between her arms.

 _Would she like a hug? Or maybe he should just ask her what is wrong? Or maybe he can make a joke to lighten up the tension between them?_

Again, Tobias finds himself helpless and clueless on how to comfort the blonde lady. He knows that all he can do right now is give her some peace and quiet- but it feels odd for him to just sit by her side and say nothing!

Scowling to himself, Tobias picks on the short grass by his crossed legs and stares silently at the ducks in the pond.

 _Why was she so worried when I was angry?_

 _Was she scared of me?_

 _Was she scared of what I would have done?_

 _Is she angry at me?_

"You know," She finally utters, lifting her face to rest her chin on her knees. The scowl on his lips dissipates. "That was the first time I've ever screamed in a library- and I feel so bad for doing it."

A small smile nudges his lips upwards. "You shouldn't feel guilty. That kid _was_ getting out of hand."

"The end does not justify the means, Professor Eaton. Don't tell me now that it is okay to steal because you want to help the poor."

Tobias shrugs, staring at his pile of plucked grass.

"You know, I'm not angry at you."

He frowns.

"I was just worried. You might have gotten yourself fired if you punch a student in the face like what you might have done. I mean, I'm not blaming you for reacting that way. _I_ myself have punched him once. But knowing you, it won't be just _a_ punch."

 _A cloud of faint pinkish hue swirls into the water as he washes the crimson blood from his knuckles._

 _The loud crack which breaks through the air as his fist hits the green eyed monster's jaw still echoes in his head. The sight of the blood which seeps down from the cracks on his lips, the eyelid which stays shut after he throws a punch onto it and the pair of lips which finally tremble in fear instead of its mischievous smirk are all that his eyes can see._

 _A gasp catches his ear and he turns his head towards the sound of the voice._

 _Her wide grey-blue eyes flicker when they meet and she takes a small step back._

 _"It's... It's none of your concern." He whispers, slamming the tap of the water shut and storming off._

 _She can't see him like this. Not when he can't control his rage. Not when the monster in him is still controlling his mind._

Tobias shakes his head. "You are worried if I lose my job?"

The lady frowns. "Yes...?"

"Why?"

She bites her lower lip. "Well, it will be sad if you lose your job, right? I mean, losing your job is... like, it's hard to get a job and you'll need money-"

"I think my father has enough money to support me—working with the government earns you quite the fortune."

"But still... you will need a job, you can't live without working and like... you know? You can't just expect for him to support you all the time and like... you graduated from Princeton! You definitely should be doing something with that degree..."

Tobias smirks. "You're worried about it because if I lose my job, you won't be able to meet me again?"

She glares at him with a scowl. "No!"

Tobias chuckles and shakes his head, lying back to rest his head on the grass.

 _So she isn't angry at me._

 _And she cares about me._

 _And she doesn't want to get rid of me anytime soon._

"What are you doing?"

The professor peeks an eye open to look at her. He stretches his limbs and pulls in a long intake of breath.

"Cloud watching." He replies lazily.

"With your eyes closed?"

The professor drapes his right arm over his eyes. "Yup. You should try it to."

Rolling her eyes, Beatrice shrugs her shoulders and lies down beside him.

The cold late Autumn wind blows lightly above them, once slapping a bunch of dried leaves onto the professor's face to which he sputters and huffs through his nose in an attempt of brushing them off- to Beatrice's great amusement.

"You know what annoys me the most about Fernando?" Beatrice asks with her eyes still closed. "It's that he seems to see me like a helpless little girl. Well _everyone_ really always look at me like a damsel in distress or an old lady. I mean, do I look that bad? I may be a blonde and I may be short, but hey, I can pack a punch and I do work out. It's not like... everyone needs to be my knight in shining armour!"

Professor Eaton lifts his arms from his eye to glance at her. "Do I treat you that way?"

Scoffing, she crosses her arms across her chest. "You have been doing a lot of _savings_ for me last year."

"Well... you _were_ helpless then. And don't try to deny it. But I'm pretty confident that you don't need much of my _savings_ now."

Frowning, Beatrice turns to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I can see it in your eyes, T... Prior."

Beatrice's frown deepens.

"In fact, if you remember well, I have been telling you ever since last year that you have a dauntless heart. It was you who didn't believe it."

"But if what you say is true, then why did you still insist on helping me out with all the littlest of things then? Like carrying me up the staircase when I didn't even break my leg."

Tobias heaves a sigh and lifts his head up, perching the side of his face on his fist and placing is elbow on the ground. "There is a big difference between what you can and are able to do, and what you can but are unable to. There is a fine line between bravery and idiocy. Deep in your eyes, I have always seen a fire burning bright in them. You had and have the spirit and lots of courage, but right then, you were not as strong as you are now."

She looks up at him with raised eyebrows. "So you mean to say that I wasn't able to because I _was_ weak, but not any longer?'

Tobias smirks and lays his head back down. "I mean to say that you have always looked down on yourself and it doesn't matter whatever others say or think. You should know that you're good, you should know that you're better than what they think- damn what they all say."

Beatrice bites her lower lip and looks down, breaking her eye contact with the professor.

"Miss Prior..." Professor Eaton breathes with a sigh. "Do you really think that all this while, my first instinct was to protect you. Because you're small, and a blonde, and a girl?"

He leans his face close to hers and wraps his fingers around her chin.

"My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press."

Her eyes snap up to meet his.

His eyes darken and his pupils dilate slightly.

Her eyes twitch and itch to look away. She resists herself from the temptation.

"The first time I met you, I was able to resist it. To hold back the impulse from controlling my actions. The second time I met you, not quite."

"Why..." Beatrice swallows hard. "Why is that your first instinct?"

"There's a fire burning deep inside your eyes and I just love seeing it, watching it burn everything it comes across. But last time, it was hidden so deep behind the shadows of what you fear are expected of you and all of those past memories which were haunting you then. When I met you again, the fire was bare, naked to plain sight. And the harder I pushed you, the brighter it burned. Somehow, I find myself enjoying watching the fire erupting wildly. And when it finally died and you were starting to give up... I felt victorious. I felt powerful. I felt so powerful for being able to tame such a wild fire."

Her head starts to feel heavy and her heart pounds wildly. She winces slightly when her chest constricts in pain as she tries to breathe in. Professor Eaton releases her chin but doesn't pull away, his hand travels up towards her right cheekbone, grazing it lightly as he brushes a stray strand of blonde hair and hooks it behind her ear.

"Then why are you not pushing me any longer?" She whispers. "Why are you suddenly being so... nice to me?"

His eyes flicker to hers. "Because someone told me that I am incapable of being evil. I wanted to push you so hard until you break and lose hope, to twist that knife in your heart so cruelly until you are begging for me to just kill you. But when I reached the tip of your breaking point, at that very moment where just a flick of my fingers would send you right off the edge, I couldn't carry on. I just _couldn_ _'t_ bare to see you suffer that much..."

He finally pulls away lying back down onto the ground, but her heart is still pounding in her head. "But sometimes, I still feel like I just want to see it once more." Professor Eaton adds as an afterthought, opening his eyes to watch the clouds above them glide away. "To see your fire blazing for me, burning down right on me... I kind of find it very... hot."

Beatrice blushes at the last few words, pushing herself up and brushing some dirt off her coat. "You know..." She starts, looking down at the olive skinned professor as he tucks his palms under his head. "I think I prefer star gazing to cloud watching... The nights are much... calmer."

Tobias smirks at her. "And less hot?"

She rolls her eyes.

Tobias laughs as he stands up beside her, taking her small hand in his and pulling her out of the garden.

CCO

With sweat dampening the skin at the back of his neck and breath shaking in anticipation, Tobias stares at the piece of paper in front of him, fidgeting with it and unintentionally dog-earing its corners.

 _Love: A Strength or a Weakness?_

The title stares at him—taunts him—dares him to read what is written below.

It doesn't even make the slightest bit of sense. Why is he feeling so nervous to read the short piece of article in his hand? He has been dying to read it for weeks and now, now it feels as if he is about to read a life determinant article- like a result from some hospital check up, confirming if he has a life threatening disease and reading the letter will either make everything worse or very much better- nowhere in between.

"You can do this Tobias, it isn't _that_ hard." He tells himself, pulling in a deep breath as he slowly unfolds the paper.

A loud ringing tune screams from Tobias's phone, reminding him that it is already fifteen minutes pre-midnight and there is something which he has to attend to.

Placing the paper in his blue file and setting it aside, Tobias rises from his chair and sets off into a sprint towards his apartment room.

CCO

He waits for the hour hand to strike midnight before he stalks his way towards the door. Leaning his weight onto the heavy door, the tall man finds himself in a dimly lit corridor which leads to a flight of stairs as it is barely illuminated by the street light which peeks through a large glass wall.

He creeps his way up, mentally counting the floors he lands on and stopping when he reaches the sixth landing with a breath of relief. Flexing his fingers which went stiff as he clutched the railings a little bit too tight.

"Room 600... 601... 602... 603..." A big smile spreads on his face as he stops in front of the white door with the numbers "604" pasted on it.

His heart drops when a robust group of chatters break through the silence. He jumps aside from the door and tries his best to appear nonchalant, avoiding their potential gazes and turning his back against the source of the sound until a loud shriek pierces through his ears.

"What are you doing here?" A girl questions.

The man bites the inside of his lower lip, throwing the first answer which pops in his head.

"Cleaning." He says mentally, knocking his head onto the wall immediately after.

"With those flowers?" The girl looks pointedly at the man with an accusing finger directed towards the bouquet of tiny white flowers.

He only shrugs, daring the girl to a silent staring contest until she cowers and sinks into her group of half-drunken friends, one by one disappearing from the dimly lit hallway and into their respective rooms till he is left alone once more.

He breathes out a sigh of relief.

 _Thank goodness they're not undergrads._

CCO

"Really those girls, they could really keep the noise down, we are simply not interested to join their 'fun'. We're trying to catch some rest here."

Beatrice smirks at Myra's comment as she lies down on her bed, barely interested in going to sleep while her fingers fondle with the blue wool scarf- the scarf which smells vaguely of vanilla and spice though strongly of sandalwood and amber...

 _Have he read my article?_

 _What does he think of it?_

 _Will he finally understand why I have been pushing him away all the while. And maybe we can work things out from there. Like we can start again, begin again, back from the start where all we did are staring up to the night sky, have a nice time just being with each other, but with a dash of flirtish gestures. Fresh, but with a better understanding of who we are and a clearer view on where we are and where do we want to bring our relationship to._

Myra peeks an eye at her roommate who still has her bedside lamp on. "You're not going to sleep yet?"

Beatrice sighs, lets go of the scarf and rolls towards her bedside lamp to switch it off. Her eyes briefly flickers to the glowing hour hand of her alarm clock. A small smile appears creeps onto her face and she silently whispers a birthday wish to herself before she closes her eyes.

 _Does he know that it is my birthday today?_

 _Will he wish me many happy returns and maybe kiss me some best wishes for the years ahead if he does?_

 _Will he leave a bouquet of flowers on my doorstep if he does?_

 _Will he bring me to some kind of observatory tower so we can gaze up at the stars and talk about our fears and insecurities?_

Beatrice slaps her face onto her pillow, screaming into it as she tries to get the jittery butterflies out.

 _Calm down, Beatrice..._

 _It's not going to happen anyway._

 _You can act normally._

 _He is just your professor._

But that is exactly what she doesn't expects. To wake up early in the morning for a walk, only to find a bouquet of white flowers at her feet.

Her heartbeat hammers in her head as she slowly crouches to the floor, fingers shaking as they reach for the bouquet. The blue crepe paper which wraps the bundle of tiny bell shaped flowers feels so fragile in her fingers that she holds it gently as she picks it up, in fear that she might tear it. A piece of yellowed paper hides amongst the flowers and Beatrice quickly pulls it out.

 ** _Many happy returns to my dearest acacia and here's to hoping that you will ace your exams and all things else in life._**

 ** _Comme un symbol de mon vrai amour et éternelle dévotion... These flowers I gift to you._**

She frowns at the odd French sentence—the structure of the sentence is incorrect. This is like... a person who picks up a French-English dictionary and does a word-by-word translation to form a sentence.

 _"I hope you don't mind me asking... what is the French translation of the words... devotion? And like... true? And also... symbol?"_

 _"Oh and also maybe you can help me with the words 'as', as in the 'as' in the phrase 'as in', and also 'eternal'."_

A ring of laughter escapes her lips.

 _Really Tobias? Do you think that you can form a French sentence like this?_

 ** _Truly yours,_**

 ** _Your Acacia_**

 ** _P/S: Meet me in the library, after sunset._**

 _After sunset..._

Her heart hammers in her chest and she ends up reading the French sentence again and again.

 _Sincere love and eternal devotion..._

Her lips stretch across her cheeks and she pulls her lower lip in, trapping it with her teeth.

"Many happy returns..."

Beatrice jumps and whirls around, unintentionally slapping the ends of her hair on Myra's face as she peers her head over Beatrice's shoulder to take a peek of the bouquet.

"It's your birthday?"

Beatrice chews the insides of her cheeks and holds the flowers behind her back.

"Err... yeah... It is my birthday." She replies, a hand scratching the back of her neck.

"And you got flowers?"

Beatrice slowly pulls the bouquet out, glancing at it briefly. "Yeah..."

"You know who is it from?"

 _Duh._

Beatrice shakes her head a no, shrugging and brushing the topic away as if it is nothing of importance as she walks back into the room, gingerly placing the flowers on her desk.

 _Just what are you up to this time, Tobias Eaton?_


	22. Chapter 22: The Library

**A/N: :)**

 **Short chapter. Maybe I will update the next chapter sooner?**

* * *

 **Guest: ^^**

 **...**

 **Hope: Hi!**

 **Thank you for the encouragement :) Yeah... there _is_ a strong reason why Tobias is not going to read the article yet- you'll see ;)**

 **More like, thanks to Beatrice, he is able to stop himself. Goodness, that bloke can get so rash. But I guess he only gets rash over things which means a lot to him. So it's a good thing that he's getting rash over Fernando disgracing Beatrice?**

 **Thank you!**

 **1) I am almost feeling bad for making you excited for the meeting after sunset.**

 **2) Thank you so much ^^**

 **3) You're welcome! I guess that is one of the greatest joys of writing. The fact that you know that you are inspiring someone's life and making them happy. Believe me, most of the time, the angstier the story seems to be in the beginning, the much more powerful it will be in the end. Because you won't know happiness if you've never felt grief and you won't know how to be thankful and grateful if you've never experienced pain and hardships.**

 **SO PLEASE STAY WITH ME EVEN IF MY STORIES SEEM LIKE IT IS SAD AND THAT EVERYTHING WILL COME TO AN END BECAUSE BELIEVE ME, THAT IS ONLY THE PATH ONE NEEDS TO GO THROUGH TO REACH HAPPINESS /).(\ (That is an open note to everyone.)**

 **Thank you so much for the review!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

"Crap." Beatrice mutters, noticing the time on her phone.

Myra watches her in silence as she runs to the bathroom, popping out a few minutes later and running to her closet, sliding her hanged clothes from one side to another, pulling her drawers out and messing up with her stacks of folded clothes.

"Umm... Beatrice?" She asks timidly, slowly approaching the frenzy blonde girl.

"What... are you doing?"

Beatrice turns around to look at her for a brief second before digging her head back into the closet. "I'm late. And I need something to wear. Someone help me because I'm never good in dressing up when I am all stressed up like this and I do not have a little black dress for me to just throw on and I do not want to seem to dressed up at any rate and I haven't ironed these dresses and I need to look for something which can keep me warm and I can't simply wear turtleneck sweaters and jeans and I-"

"Beatrice!"

Beatrice pauses in her speech, stunned by Myra's loud tone which she never uses.

"Beatrice, calm down. We can never look for anything for you to wear at this rate. You're going on a date, are you?"

Beatrice nods sheepishly as Myra smiles and opens her own closet, preferring to look through hers rather than the messed up one of Beatrice's. She pulls out a black chest and passes it to Beatrice.

"I'm not that rich, so I don't have something too grand." She utters, pointing at the black chest. "But that is my mom's dress which she wore on her first date with my dad. She told me that wearing it brings good luck."

Biting the insides of her cheeks, Beatrice lifts the lid and pulls out a black, sleeveless, belted polka dots dress.

"You can pair that with some skinny jeans I think. And maybe where some black or white long sleeved shirt inside." Myra suggests. "That will keep you from the cold."

"Thanks but... does it work, though?" Beatrice asks, setting the dress aside. "The good luck charm."

Myra bites her lower lip. "Last time I wore it, my ex dumped me. So I guess it's just a myth. But I don't think that it will bring bad luck either."

Beatrice chuckles nervously. "Let's hope for that."

CCO

A heap of discarded Oxford shirts lies on the carpeted floor as Tobias rummages his closet to look for a suitable outfit.

He knew that he shouldn't have agreed to help Edward with his weekly reports. He should have insisted that he has his own work to do and that he really has to get back home by five. Now not only is he late, but he never had the time to read what she has to say about love before he can even approach to her about it.

Deciding that his search really is fruitless, he picks up a navy blue Oxford shirt from the floor and puts on a pair of black pants. Tucking the hem of the shirt into his pants, Tobias picks up a black tie and ties it into a Windsor knot around his neck. He frowns at his reflection.

He looks too formal... This just won't do.

Pulling out his cufflinks and rolling up his sleeves, Tobias smiles in satisfaction, very much pleased with his improved dressing up skills.

Grabbing a tiny yellow flower from his coffee table, pulling on a black vest and picking up his blue beanie for just in cases, he runs out of the door and down the path he usually takes on his Saturday evenings.

CCO

Beatrice runs down the brick pavement in a hurry, mentally thanking her professor for teaching her the correct way of tying her scarf so it effectively stays on her neck despite the harsh wind she is running against.

Pushing her way through the heavy library door, she breathes a sigh of relief when she sees that the sun is still setting down and the hour hand on her watch is still pointing at the tiny lines in between five and six.

What is she anticipating? She has no clue. But her heart is pounding loudly in her head and she feels as if she might faint if the corner doesn't come sooner.

CCO

A loud thunder rumbles from the sky, echoed by a few drops of rain. Tobias picks up his speed, ignoring his worn out legs and screaming lungs.

He needs to reach that library in time.

CCO

Turning around the corner, her steps freezes when she spots the black-haired boy sitting on the windowsill.

"Happy birthday Beatrice." He wishes, pulling out a bouquet of fresh roses in all colours.

"Fernando?"

Fernando smirks. "Yeah. Why? Expecting someone else?"

Her mind starts to whirl and she starts to feel dizzy.

"Do you... like the flowers this morning?"

"You... you were the one who left them?"

He just shrugs.

 _No, this isn't supposed to happen. How can this be happening?_

 _It wasn't supposed to be, it can't be._

 _Tobias... Tobias is supposed to be **her acacia**. _

_Tobias is the only one who gifts such complex flowers instead of the common roses like the ones which are currently shoved at her._

 _And the French sentence... it was... it **must be Tobias**. _

CCO

Tobias breathes a sigh of relief once his eyes catch the sight of the familiar glass door. Hoping that he isn't too late, he pushes the glass door open, unbothered to check if his hair is neat and speed walks towards the far corner, the beanie and yellow flower still in his hand.

CCO

"I... actually have something to tell you," Fernando says, a big coy smile on his face. "Since it _is_ your birthday anyway, I thought that it'll be... a nice surprise." He goes on, pushing himself from the windowsill and approaching a frozen Beatrice in slow measured steps.

His steps are predatory, she can tell that. And although it scares her, her feet remains planted on the ground, refusing to back down.

She can't tell if it is out of defiance or out of shock.

But when he places his hands on her shoulders, she starts to back away, shoving him a little to amplify her intentions of staying away from him, but Fernando pulls her back towards him, forcing his lips onto hers in a rough kiss.

A bright yellow flower and a grey-blue beanie slip down from trembling fingers and falls onto the floor a few steps behind them.

 _No... It can't be._

 _It has to be someone else._

But by the familiar scent of vanilla and apples and cinnamons, the short and petite figure, the shoulder length blonde hair and the grey-blue scarf, he knows that the lady in front of him is the same person he has been loving since two Summers ago.

With pain and sorrow screaming from his eyes, Tobias takes a few silent steps back before he breaks into a sprint.

He only saw it for a few seconds, but the picture is etched deeply in his mind.

The sight was harsher than the words she wrote in the letter which she left last year, the sight was harsher than his father's whipping when he was younger.

The sight hit his heart harder than a sledgehammer, and twisted in a much more painful way than how a knife can ever twist his heart.

He breaks through the library door, collapsing onto the wet ground.

The sight ripped his soul out so harshly and torturously that even the thunder can't disguise his scream of anguish as he breaks down on the ground.

CCO

She struggles through his harsh grip until she can finally use her knees to spread his legs apart and hit him at his crotch.

Beatrice watches him double over in pain and wipes the back of her hand on her tainted lips.

"You fucking do that again Fernando Wolt and I'll make sure that you are never able to see the light of the day again." She warns, turning her back towards him but freezes when she spots a familiar looking flower on the ground and a blue beanie which was once tucked cosily on her head a year back.

And she can be perfectly sure that she did not see it before.

 _No..._

 _Don't tell me that Tobias came..._

 _Don't tell me that Tobias saw me..._

Beatrice picks up the beanie and stashes it into her bag as she runs out of the library just in time to see a drenched wet man walking away from her.

"Tobias..." She whispers before screaming and calling the name out loud.

"Tobias!"

"Tobias wait!"

He tunes her voice out, thankful for the heavy rain as it makes it easier for him to imagine that the desperate voice is nothing but a quiet whisper at the back of his head.

"Tobias please listen to me!" Comes one last strangled cry before she breaks into a sob, knees buckling, chest screaming and her heart torn apart.

 _Does fate hates us?_

 _Are we not meant to be with each other?_


	23. Chapter 23: Betrayal

**A/N: Hey! So... I hope that last chapter was good...? Okay, it may have been a little bit sad... but it's still good right? :)**

 **This chapter, the earlier, flashback-ish part of it is not exactly satisfying- for me. But it explains how that sneaky thing called Fernando found out about the flowers. Please point out any typos or grammar mistakes if you spot any.**

 **Next chapter is going to be epic and action-packed ;)**

* * *

 **Guest: Maybe, though I didn't plan for it to be. It was more like a foreshadow- a warning that something bad may happen.**

 **...**

 **Hope: Apart from an impending flu, I'm doing well, thanks.**

 **Sneaky he is and obsessed he is too. Honestly, it was like... so hard for me to post that chapter because you and all the other readers were so excited for the 'meeting after sunset' date thing and I was going to drop it off like... like what I did. And I felt so bad for doing it, but it needs to happen for the plot to work out and I was just like... *take a deep breath... posts new chapter*.**

 **Ah... It's going to take more than a chapter for this misunderstanding to be solved.**

 **That is an interesting quote and it definitely reflects my opinion.**

 **Thank you! I hope that you will keep on loving the story ^^**

 **...**

 **Guest: I am so sorry, but I think that I wrote it in the beginning of chapter 1 that this is a sequel to Acacia... I hope that it hasn't confused things too much. If there's anything which you don't understand, please, do ask.**

 **...**

 **Khansa: It's okay.**

 **Yay! Is the fan fiction the one called, "Love Is A One Way Street" or is it a different one?**

 **:D Next chapter is here and I hope that you're still alive to read it. Thank you so much! I appreciate your review :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

 _ **The morning of 25th October 2015/ Beatrice's birthday...**_

"Psst... Myra..."

Myra freezes in her steps and turns around to scan the long hallway, but finding no one behind her.

"Myra..." Comes the whisper again, slightly louder this time.

She traces her steps a few feet back and peeks her head around the corner from where she came from. But the brightly lit hallway still remains empty.

A shiver runs through her body.

The lights start to flicker before flashing out, leaving the hallway in pitch darkness.

Myra picks up her speed, trying to run as fast as her short legs can carry as a series of footsteps starts to make itself noticeable.

A hand touches her shoulder and she screams, hitting whatever her hands collide with as another hand starts to hold her arms— holding her back— immobilising her.

"Let go of me, please..." She pleads, huddling herself into a tight ball.

"Myra, stop panicking, it is just me."

She lifts her head up, peeking an eye open to see none other than Fernando Wolt himself with a flashlight in his hand.

Myra flails her arms out in anger. "Urgh! Stop doing that, Fernando!" She scolds, kicking him in the shin to which he drops back from his feet, holding his lower leg tightly in pain.

"You told me to not grab you into some dark alley so I called out for you. You were the one who didn't answer." He seethes through gritted teeth.

"Well you don't have to turn out the lights!"

"But that wasn't me! I myself am not sure why are the lights turned out. And you yourself should probably stop kicking me for like I said, I am _not_ a punch bag!"

Her eyes widen in realisation and Myra quickly reaches for his leg, repeatedly saying a sorry like a chant before Fernando pushes her hands away.

"It's okay, I'm fine. Don't bother about it." He says, rubbing his shin once more before settling into a squad.

"So what is it exactly which you want me for?"

Fernando bites his lips. "Nothing really, just... thought that we can catch up with each other or something."

Myra laughs, standing up and brushing the dirt off her pants.

"There's got to be a better reason than that." She says, raising an eyebrow in question.

But Fernando just keeps his silence as they walk their way out of the dark hallway with the help of the flashlight in his hand. Only when they reach a grey door, swing it open and Myra happily skips her way out of the pitch dark place does he asks the question which has been playing in his mind.

"How's Beatrice?"

Myra shrugs. "Like always... panicky when it comes to her studies, sarcastic when it comes to things which are bitching her life and very funnily... at ease I may say, when it comes to her professor."

Fernando frowns. "At ease?"

"Yeah." Myra nods. "At ease. Whenever she comes back from her Saturday lessons, she's always very funnily at ease. Not too excitedly giddy like a dog when it sees a big bone, but rather... refreshed and inspired. Even when sometimes, she seems tired and would have a nap just as she returns from the library, you can see it in her eyes that she feels at ease and at home."

"Oh..." Fernando replies with a frown.

Even if he wants to deny it, Fernando just can't lie about it to himself. If a person is _that_ comfortable, _that_ inspired and _that_ happy with another, the feeling which they harbour between themselves cannot be a mere crush and they can't be simply acquaintances. Yes, it may very well be a platonic relationship, but the bond between them must be very strong.

And deep down, he knows that those two are not sharing a platonic love between them.

And he also knows that there are only four words which can be used to label the relationship which they are sharing.

 _True love._

 _Soul mates._

 _And can anything get in the way of two souls which are just simply destined to be with each other?_

"It's her birthday today."

Fernando looks up in surprise.

"It's her birthday today." She repeats. "And she got a bouquet of flower this morning- which I am so sure came from him."

The familiar frown returns to Fernando's lips. "What makes you think that way?"

"Well because there was this note attached to the bouquet and at the end of it, the author told her to meet him at the library after sun down and that is where they usually have their lessons together so... it makes sense. I guess?"

Fernando just shrugs, but his mind is reeling with a plan.

 _Maybe there are ways to stop fate...?_

CCO

 ** _Back to the evening of 25th October 2015/ Beatrice's birthday..._**

Myra smiles when she hears the rattling of keys from the front door. She pulls out a bookmark from her stationary mug, placing it on the page which she was reading before flipping the book close.

But when the door opens and a drenched wet Beatrice appears with a tear stricken face, the excitement which bubbled up in her heart dies down.

"Beatrice, what-"

"I'm sorry, it was raining and I probably ruined your dress."

"Rain can't ruin dresses, Beatrice. And it is not even ruined." Myra interrupts, walking in front of her friend, trying to get her to look back at her. "What happened."

Beatrice pulls in a shaky breath, wiping the back of her hand across her eyes. "Don't... don't ask about it," She whispers, running to the bathroom and shutting it with a bang.

 _Did she make the wrong choice by telling Beatrice to accept Professor Eaton's coaching proposal?_

CCO

Beatrice opts for a seat at the far corner of the study hall—the furthest possible from the professor's desk. Her head stays down, hair shielding most of her face, and ears only lending half of their effort to listen to what the professor is saying.

"Trust," He says. "once lost, could not be easily found. Not in a year, perhaps not even in a lifetime."

She clamps her eyes closed, fingers shaking as they fidget with the pen and paper in her hands.

" _Has_ anyone experienced the feeling of being betrayed?" Tobias sweeps a glance through the room—stopping right before his gaze reaches the far corner of the hall. He turns down to read the notes he wrote in his book. "Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher of the late 19th century, has been quoted saying, "I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you." that." He says, placing the book aside. "is the worst feeling one can get after being betrayed. Yes, the initial pain stings. But nothing can compete the grief and sorrow one feels after that and the thought that nothing can be the same between you and the person who betrayed you any longer."

The bell rings and Tobias picks up his books, walking straight towards the large metal doors.

"Article on betrayal. I want to see it on Wednesday morning." He announces just before the door slams closed.

The clock ticks heavily in the silent hall.

"What do you think Professor Eaton wants us to write about exactly?" A female voice pipes out, breaking the seal of silence.

Beatrice zones out the rest of the conversation as she stashes the book and pen into her bag and dashes for the exit.

 _There is only one reason as to why he told them to write that article._

 _And no matter what she writes, the paper will definitely return to her hands with a large 'D' on its top right corner._

 _'C' if she is lucky._

"Oh he probably just wants us to define betrayal." Suggests another student as they walk towards their next study hall in groups. "It's what he _always_ asks us to do with these articles, right?"

"Well then, _what_ defines betrayal?"

"Betrayal is an act of treachery. It is to deceive a person who have trusted you."

"Betrayal is when a person who you loved loves another."

Beatrice freezes.

She turns around to meet the eyes of the black-haired boy standing a few feet behind her.

"To feel betrayed..." He continues, his eyes briefly meeting Beatrice's with a nonchalant look. "To feel betrayed is that moment when you see her kissing another man behind your back—and yet she acts as if she never did it."

Her fingers coil into a tight fist.

Beatrice grabs the collar of his shirt and pins him against a nearby wall, her face an inch away from his as she roars out, "So that was your plan? You purposely did that in front of him so he'd think of me as nothing but a mere slut?"

Beatrice swears that she's never as desperate to kill a man as she is now. She was angry at how he tainted her lips without her consent and took an advantage of her when she was too shocked to react, but she didn't see how extensive his plans were.

How Fernando had purposely kissed her in front of the person he knows she loves, knowing that he will feel pained and betrayed by it.

 _Knowing that his trust in her will be broken._

Knowing that he will never forgive her for it.

"Did what, Beatrice? Did what to you in front of whom?" He barks back with a challenging stare. "Go on, shout it out, scream it out, tell the whole class who is this person you are trying to keep such a good face to so you'd eventually end up in his bed."

Her hands shake with the anger burning in her heart and she slams his head into the wall harshly before throwing him aside.

"To feel betrayed is when you have trusted a person, befriended that person, but he one day decides that his feelings are more important than that of yours."

"To feel betrayed is when you have spent a whole year with the person you love, went through thick and thin with that person, and yet, she goes on to love another- leaving you behind as if you were nothing but a pawn in her little chess game."

"But you can't expect the other person to love you back, Fernando!" Myra interrupts in a strong voice. She pauses for a moment when all eyes turn to look at her.

"You... you can't expect the person you love to love you back, Fernando. Love isn't something to be forced. Love isn't something you willingly do. You can try to make yourself love a person or another, but most of the time, you fall in love without your own consent, without your own accord."

Fernando looks bitterly at Myra. "What do _you_ know about love."

She glares back at him. "Probably much more than you do if you expect everyone to love you back just because you love them."

Myra takes Beatrice's hand in hers, giving it a little squeeze and a supporting smile.

Now she knows. Now she understands why Beatrice returned home last night, broken and tattered. And though she swore to never act with violence, now she really wishes that she can beat the hell out of Fernando.

Myra knew that Fernando has been harbouring a deep romantic interest towards Beatrice. That was very much clear from the way he acts whenever Professor Eaton makes a move on her. And she has been trying to convince Fernando that they really are meant for each other and maybe Fernando should try to move on.

But what she did not see was how obsessed Fernando is about Beatrice.

That is the only word to describe Fernando's feelings towards Beatrice. It is **no longer love**.

It is **obsession**.

If she had found out about this sooner, she probably would not have told him about the flowers and the note attached to it.

"Miss Prior."

Dread washes over the two girls when they see a brunette haired, short lady standing a few metres away from where they are.

 _The dean._

Myra's lips tremble in fear.

"Follow me to my office immediately." She pronounces, loud and clear, beckoning Beatrice to follow her as she marches towards her office.

Assuring Myra, who seems even more worried than she is, with a silent nod, Beatrice collects her grace as she follows the dean, a few steps behind with her chin held high and her spine well aligned. Even as a strong gush of wind blows harshly at them, Beatrice refuses to pull her coat tightly around her to show her poise.

 _She is not at wrong._

 _Fernando had started it._

 _He asked for it..._

The dean stops in front of a tinted glass door with the sign "LECTURUR'S OFFICE" nailed on its side. She flashes her card on a card reader, waiting for it to emit a beep before she pushes the door open, nodding a greeting to the few lecturers sitting behind grey office desks in the room as she leads Beatrice to another door at the other end of the room.

"Miss Prior." She starts, urging Beatrice to take a seat on the opposite side of the oak desk. "Except if you are to say that my eyes are playing tricks on me, you—"

"Hit Mr. Wolt on the wall before shoving him to the ground?" Beatrice offers. "Yes, I did."

"And what is your excuse for such a violent act?"

Beatrice crosses her ankles. "Because he insulted me… he called me... a slut."

The dean raises an eyebrow. "Did he now?"

"Well, he implied it to be."

"And does that justify your acts?"

 _"You shouldn't feel guilty. That kid was getting out of hand."_

 _"The end does not justify the means, Professor Eaton. Don't tell me now that it is okay to steal because you want to help the poor."_

 _He shrugs, staring at his pile of plucked grass. His long fingers reaches out for the pile, picking up one of the grass into his hands and caressing it with his thumb._

The same way he used to caress her back when she has just woken up from a bad dream.

Beatrice closes her eyes briefly, pulling in a trembling breath through her nose.

"No Miss Prior, no matter what Mr. Wolt did, you do not have the rights to react the way you did."

Beatrice grits her teeth, looking down at her brown boots.

"And I am afraid that your actions deserve to be punished, Miss Prior." The dean clicks a ball pen open and writes a notice on a memo pad. "You are to assist Professor Eaton after school today."

Her head shoots up, wide eyes staring at the dean. "Professor Eaton?"

"Yes." She replies with a firm nod. "Professor Eaton. I believe that he is your philosophy teacher?"

"Well... yes."

"So you know him?"

"Well... yes."

"And do you have a problem with him which makes you uncomfortable with assisting him at eight-thirty p.m. for maybe an hour?"

Her heart skips a beat and her eyes widen. "An hour?!"

"Yes. And do you have a problem with that?"

Biting into the tip of her tongue, Beatrice slowly shakes her head a no.

"Good then. I thought that it will be nice to assign you to someone who you know rather than a person who you don't." The dean replies on a lighter note, relieved to get the problem solved. "I will escort you to your next class, but I do not want to hear from Professor Eaton that you do not appear tonight— am I clear?"

Squeezing her eyes close, she pulls in a deep breath. "I don't have any other way out of this at any rate do I?"

 _We both don't, my dear._

With a small sympathetic smile, the dean leads her out of the room, pausing at an unoccupied grey desk to stick the memo pad she wrote on onto the desk.

"In fact, Miss Prior, there really is nothing for you to fear. Professor Eaton is one of our most polite, most professional lecturers. I'm sure that he will treat you fairly. In fact, he is a true romantic gentleman too."

Beatrice furrows her eyebrows. "A true romantic gentleman?"

"Well yes." The dean replies, her eyes shining with admiration. "A true romantic gentleman. You know, he worked so hard and drove so far out of town just to look for a bouquet of arbutus to gift to his lover on her birthday. How frequent can you find a man like him in today's world?"

A sharp pain pierces through Beatrice's heart.

 _So it really was him who left those Arbutus on my doorstep..._

"Very hard." She replies, coughing immediately after to hide her tight voice and looking away to hide the tears which prick her eyes.

"You know, Miss Prior." The dean whispers to her. "There is a small bar at the end of the road just a few blocks away from the main gate of the university. They open at about eight in the night and close at like six in the morning and is filled with an array of refreshments which might do you some good on stressful days. You can use the back alley to avoid yourself from being seen."

Beatrice frowns a little at the dean, but nods her head anyways.

CCO

A beep resonates around the room and Edward lifts his head up to find the fallen knight walking in with a forlorn look, dragging his feet to his desk and landing on his chair with a heavy creak.

"You're stressed."

"No shit Sherlock." Tobias replies, face buried deep in the palms of his hands.

Edward squints his eyes, stroking the tip of his chin as he leans forward on his desk. "Was helping me with my Sunday reports _that_ stressful? Because you have been oh so fine and jolly for the last couple of weeks."

Tobias scoffs.

 _If he did not help Edward with his Sunday reports and arrived at the library earlier, he'd still be living under his foolish imaginations._

He should have seen it from the very beginning.

He should have just believed in her words.

He should have never doubted it when she said that she can't love him the way he does.

That she is nothing but a cold and heartless vixen...

A fool's gold.

But he was so caught up with his feelings for her that he could not even see what is laid down in front of him. That ever since the first time he told her that he loves her, she has been so desperate to push him away.

That she will never ever love him the way he wishes her to...

And now he wonders if it would have been better to live under an illusion, or to know the real truth.

 _"Only the heart speaks the truth..."_

 _"Son... words can deceive, but the heart couldn't—could never. Did you feel her heartbeat when she wrote that note? Was it calm or was it racing? And when the letter was sealed, did her heart felt relieved or was it crying, broken and torn apart?"_

"Aargh!"

Tobias ruffles his hair in irritation, pulling hard on the dark brown threads at the nape of his neck in agony.

 _The truth has been plainly laid down have it?_

 _She **does not** love me... Why am I still doubting it? _

"Hey Eaton, there's a girl in front of the door."

Tobias huffs, turning his back towards Mayhem.

"Honestly Eaton, there's a girl in front of the door."

"So what?"

"Aren't you supposed to be baby-sitting some student as part of her detention of some sort?"

Tobias furrows his eyebrows to which Edward points his index finger to a neon green memo at the corner of his desk. He picks it up and reads.

 _ **I hope that you won't mind taking in a student under your wing for a couple of hours as her detention?**_

Edward strides towards the glass door, pressing a button to unlock it.

 _ **The girl was caught harassing her own classmate, Fernando Wolt.**_

Edward smirks at the short blond lady who takes a step back, almost tripping over her own boots with shock screaming from her eyes.

 _ **I believe that she is your student? Her name is Helen Beatrice Prior.**_

Tobias feels a funny buzzy feeling in his head. He rereads the note, just to be sure that he did not read it wrong. Because he must have, right? He really must have read it wrong. This detention concept never exists in Princeton... it shouldn't exist in any university—it just doesn't make sense.

It's childish and it is... it's more like the high-schools' type of detention.

"Did I get your name?" Edward asks with his arms crossed, leaning on the doorframe beside him.

Beatrice tries to shake the fear out of her nerves and stand taller, crossing her arms before uncrossing them in second thoughts, digging her hands into her pockets. "I am not sure if you did, but I am damn sure that I did not mention it to you."

 _Feisty._

With a smirk, Edward glances at the pale-faced Tobias. "I'll be out for some walk." He calls out before turning to look at Beatrice with a sly grin. "You have some fun while I'm out, Eaton."

* * *

 **P/S: Have you noticed the signs yet? *evil-smirk-y face* I'm not going to say anything. *zips lips***


	24. Chapter 24: His Own Folly

**A/N: First of, to all of those anonymous and un-anonymous reviewers, you guys really made me want to update the story the day after I posted chapter 23, but there's this schedule person in me who was holding me back.** **Second of, I'm using a new guest reviews replying format since I think it is neater this way. Third of, I am hyper-excited about this chapter. And last but not least, I am expecting my sister to come up and say that I have lots of grammar mistakes in this chapter since I really don't have time to go through them because I need to rush somewhere else.**

 **Love you guys big much! Love this chapter almost as much :D**

* * *

 _Khansa: Yes, I think that is what it's called._

 **Yeah, I know about that one. It was written by my sister who wrote it with the intention of teasing me actually XD**

 _Guest:_ _You should have tris wrote a note to Tobias at the end of her writing for his class explaining what happened._

 **Yeah... maybe I should have. But it won't work with the plot so... I can't have her to do it. Though I do agree that she should try harder to explain things to him. Thanks for the feedback!**

 _Guest: OK I'll ask you. Who is the green eyed man from her past._

 _Also, what was that about Beatrice being assaulted... Please summarize her history for me or you can tell me to read accacia if this is hard for you._

 **The green eyed man plays a big role in Tris's life and I am glad that you asked me about it.**

To simplify things, when Tris was younger, on the high planes of the Buffalo Mountains, a lady who was jealous of Natalie since she wanted to marry Andrew worked together with this guy called David to burn down the house Tris and her family were living in. Jeanine's intention was to kill everyone except for Andrew, but David sympathises Natalie and her kids and pleaded Jeanine to not kill them. Jeanine agrees if only Natalie swears to move away with the kids, change her identity and not tell anyone about it. Somewhere through the whole commotion though, Tris did not end up with Natalie but with Andrew instead. Andrew and Tris believed that Natalie, Caleb and Shauna were killed in the fire which Jeanine bribed the investigators to classify as an accident.

A month after the 'death' of Natalie, Andrew decides to marry Jeanine after she told him that Tris will need a mother figure to grow up with. Unbeknownst to Andrew, Jeanine always acted coldly towards Tris which resulted in her running away from their home one night. She stumbles upon this green eyed guy called Al who, at first, seemed nice and all that but turns out to be a leader of some very much feared gang (like Al Capone or something) who intended to kidnap and sell Tris. Before he manages to bring Tris out of the state however, Andrew managed to save Tris. Just as they were about to escape Al's hideout, Andrew was shot. Seconds before he passed away, he made Tris promise to stay with Jeanine, saying that even if Jeanine is not a good person, she is the only person who can provide shelter for Tris.

While all that happened, David helped Natalie to earn a new life in Chicago and they later got married. Years later, Natalie died in a car crash while she was having an argument with Shauna in the car. After Natalie's death, as David was going through Natalie's possessions, he realised just how much she had loved Andrew and how he had ruined her life by working with Jeanine. Consumed with guilt, David decided to reunite the Prior siblings. Thus, he persuaded his friend, Marcus Eaton, to hire or adopt Tris from Jeanine's (I'm not so sure what kind of place was Tris living in and like, what kind of transaction and/or deal they had. I think I didn't think it through when I wrote this part. The thing is, she ends up working for the Eaton household). David's plan was that he will find a way to get Tris close with Caleb and Shauna (who were under his care) and, when the time is right, tell them the truth.

Somewhere around here, Al was in Cincinnati and found Myra standing alone at a car park. He, and some other of his lackeys pulled her into a back alley, raped her and tried to kill her. However, Edward (her then boyfriend who she thought was so chaotic that she nick-named him Mayhem) found her, killed one of her rapists (Edward attained his eye scar during this fight), and brought her to a hospital. When Myra woke up, she scolded Edward for acting so violently. Edward scolded her back, accusing that she is trying to protect the rapist and broke up with her. Edward was later arrested for killing the man, but he was bailed out some months after. Myra also found out that Edward and his family is actually known to have a high number of criminal records and some of them had been imprisoned, but they were always bailed out).

When Tris arrived at the Eaton's place, she found out that Al is working for the Eatons as a gardener. Unbeknownst to them, Al is planning to harvest some fortune from them. He is working as the gardener to get to know about the house and where are the money kept and so on. But when Al met Tris, he decided to pause his pursuit for gold and play a little game with Tris. One night, he and two other of his lackeys cornered Tris in a dark back alley and raped her. He stabbed her in her stomach with the intention of killing her, but Tobias somehow found her and brought her to a hospital. Tobias pleaded Tris to tell her who did it to her, but she refused to in fear that Al will harm her, or worse, Tobias. Some weeks after that though, Tobias managed to make Tris tell him what happened- which resulted in Tobias beating Al up. Enraged, Al attempted to kill Tris though he was stopped by Tobias who also reported the whole case to the police, resulting in Al being arrested.

 **And _that_ is all about the green eyed guy whose full name is Albert Peters which you should know if you have read Acacia and Arbutus :)**

 **I hope that my explanation wasn't confusing? You can always read Acacia, though like I said, my writing was pretty bad back then and I kind of- well I really do feel embarrassed about it. I mean like, it was just very bad...**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

The wide open door dares her to walk pass it and pull it close.

 _Should I enter? Or should I wait?_

 _Should I enter? Or should I wait?_

She jumps and takes a step back when a beeping noise starts to screech from the doorway.

"Goodness Prior! Step in and shut that door before I get a headache."

Chewing hard into the insides of her lips, Beatrice scurries through the doorway, pulling the handle of the glass door with her to shut it.

The beeping noise stops.

And there's no sound at all.

Tobias shuts his eyes tight, forehead pasted on his fists as he rests his elbows on his desk.

 _Somehow, he prefers the deafening beeping noise of the door rather than this heavy silence._

"Sit."

Beatrice fidgets with the ends of her scarf, boots glued to the ground.

"I said sit!"

Beatrice jumps at his sudden outburst before she quietly pulls a blue office chair two desks away from him.

"Not too far, what do you expect? You are here to help me! Goodness, Prior!"

With a scowl, Beatrice keeps on pulling the chair to her professor's desk at which he looks up with a frown.

"Not-"

"Can you stop screaming at me!" Beatrice shouts back at him, arms crossed, fingers in a fist.

"Well if you actually do it right, I won't be screaming at you—goodness I'd rather not even need to interact with you at all."

"Well if you can be more specific with what do you want me to do rather than just ordering me this and that and telling me that they are all wrong, you won't be needing to scream at me in the first place!"

"Oh so _I_ am the one at wrong over here?" Professor Eaton asks. "Not the girl who couldn't do anything better than hitting on every rich guy she meets?"

Beatrice stays silent.

But her eyes are ablaze.

"You never change do you?" She speaks, voice in a quiet whisper. "Stubborn, assumptious... You never really care to know what the truth is do you?"

He scoffs. "How do you expect me to know the truth if you are always so closed up like a locked book?"

"How do you expect me to tell you the truth when you are always so judging?"

"How do you expect me to not judge when you never really tell the whole story?"

"How do you expect me to tell you the whole story without you making false assumptions of who I am? If I told you that the guy who pretended to be your very courteous gardener is the son of the leader of a very rich and much-feared gangster, you probably would have said that I purposely lured him because he is so very rich." Beatrice accuses, her voice pitching higher and higher as she talks. "If I told you that it was hard for me to trust you because there were so many people who I have trusted who have betrayed me, you probably would say that I am such a pessimistic and paranoid little girl who thinks that everyone in the world is plotting against me. And If I have told you that it was so hard for me to admit that my heart breaks every single day I had to live without you because, unbeknownst to me, I have fallen for a petty Mayor's son and I it was so hard for me to live without you because I freaking love you and th-"

"You... you what?"

Beatrice glares at the professor. "Is _that_ all that you care for? If your own feelings are reciprocated?"

"Well I—"

"You didn't even read my article did you? You forced me to write an article and you never even read it. Is _that_ why I received a 'C' grade for my previous article? Do you just mark up the papers without even reading them?"

Tobias wipes the palm of his hand on his face. "I told you, that article was—"

"You know what? Let me rephrase my words, _professor_." Her lips tremble and a lump starts to form in her throat. "I freaking loved you, professor."

A tear slips her eye and she furiously wipes it with the sleeve of her jacket.

"I _had_ loved you."

Beatrice makes a run for the glass door, trying hard to pull it open before slamming her fist on it as she remembers that it has some silly electro-magnetic locking system and the door can only be opened if she has that white card thing.

She bites her tongue. "Open this thing."

"Tr-"

"I said open this thing!"

"But-"

"Just shut up and open this door for me!" She cries out.

Beatrice slumps her back to the glass door, sliding down to the ground. She hugs her knees to her chest and buries her face in between her arms.

Tobias reaches a hand out to touch her, but she pushes it back.

"Let me out! Let me out! Just let me out of here... Please Tobias just let me out..."

His heart twists and his knees shake.

 _"But Tobias, let me tell you one thing. That person you're thinking about, whoever she is, don't let your emotions cloud your mind. You don't want to regret a wrong decision because of a wrong judgment. Sometimes, they are the ones in total wrong. Other times, it is all just a misunderstanding."_

She is right.

He is stubborn, he _is assumptious_.

He has always been so quick to judge.

 _And his judgment has always been clouded by his emotions._

 _And his emotions have always been a chaotic mess._

 _And he'd always stick to his chaotic-emotionally made judgments._

 _He'd hardly allow any space for debates once he has come to a conclusion._

 _His father has been warning him about it, but he never listens._

The black box above her makes a single beep before the door clicks open.

And she runs.

Away from him.

Probably never coming back.

And he is back to square one—or maybe further back.

All because of his stupid, stupid emotionally made judgments.

It always has been.

CCO

Edward walks into the lecturer's room with a large smile, whistling a tune as he approaches his desk. He frowns for a moment, looking for his chair before he sees it in front of the fallen knight's desk.

"What are you doing with my chair?" He asks, watching his colleague gripping a folded piece of paper tightly in his hands.

Tobias lets out a long and heavy breath, slowly unfolding the paper.

 _ **Love: A Strength or a Weakness?**_

"I didn't do anything with it, the girl needed it."

"And she can't pick any other chair?"

Tobias clenches his jaw. "Well you can ask her that."

Shrugging his shoulders, Edward lifts the blue office chair, placing it back in its place with a heavy thud before he resumes his whistling as he presses the power button of his computer.

Tobias pulls out a pair of earphones from his bag and plugs it into his ears, the jack hanging limply in front of him.

 ** _Is love a strength or a weakness? It is a constant debate that has been ongoing for years. Even if the debate hasn't frequently reached an intellectual platform, it definitely has been a constant debate inside many minds._**

 ** _According to Greek Mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces until Zeus splits them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves for he fears the power a man can hold. Which leads to Plato saying that, "Love is simply the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole."._**

 ** _So to love is to care for another as if they are a part of you, if not more. And to love is also to trust another person as if you know them by heart, even if you don't. For if you don't trust and care for them, how can you ever live together as one whole being? How can you live as one whole being if you do not care for your other half? How can you live as one whole being if you keep on lying to each other? If you can't trust them enough to let them know about you? It defeats the whole purpose of love if you do not care or trust for one another._**

 ** _Now, if Zeus himself feared the power one whole man wields, it must mean that love is definitely a strength, right? But the thing about love is that you can never really tell if that person who you love really is your other half. They say that you will feel it. That when you find your other half, you will feel an instant connection with them and you will know that that person is your other half. But how can you tell if the feeling is right when you have never felt it before? What if the feeling which you feel when you meet a person who you think is your other half is merely a lust-induced attraction? Or worse, what if that person who you fall in love with is trying to trick you into falling for them for their own personal gains?_**

 ** _No matter how blissful or heavenly is the madness of love, one cannot deny that love is also a weakness—a mental disease. When you love a person, you trust them wholly. You tell them about your deepest secrets, you tell them about your greatest fears. There will come a time when that person who you love might know more about you then anyone does—maybe even more than you do. And at that point, you are under their complete mercy. It's not only that they will know how to haunt you and torture you with your fears, but they are also able to manipulate your thoughts and conscience. They will know how to make you believe that they are the only person who truly cares for you until you will start to think that even your family and friends, who have stood by your side ever since you know them, are actually your greatest enemy._**

 ** _You can never tell if that person who you fell in love with is actually the devil himself._**

 ** _The term falling—_**

Edward jumps from his desk when he hears a fierce scrunching sound.

"Dude... what are you doing?" He asks, watching the man crumpling and tearing up a piece of paper.

Eaton keeps his silence.

Edward fidgets with the tips of his fingers as he watches Tobias tearing up the last bit of the paper before he crumples it and throws it aside, fisting his hair with such fervour that his knuckles turn white.

Packing his laptop with a sigh, Edward grabs his coat and checks its pockets to make sure that he has his phone in it. "Come on Eaton, let's call it a day." He suggests, walking towards Tobias's desk. "I have some beer at my house and it looks like you can do some of them."

"I don't drink," Tobias mumbles back.

Edward bites into his tongue. "Well I don't know, you can get something else but you really need to get out of this office right now and recollect your thoughts. I pity all those students who are getting their papers marked while you are in this mood."

Tobias wipes the palms of his hands on his face, wishing that he can decline the offer but knowing all too well that Edward is right.

He needs to recollect his thoughts.

He needs to clear up his emotions.

He needs to rethink about all of his judgments that he's made before.

Only then can he hopefully, truly redeem himself.

Tobias trudges out of the office, eyes swelling when they see a grey-blue scarf glowing under the moonlight a couple of feet ahead of him.

Tobias walks towards it without a sound. A lump forms in his throat as his fingers touches the soft woollen scarf, tainted by dirt and grime as it was laid discarded on the ground. A familiar looking book bag lies nearby—its contents sprawled out all over the grass.

An even more familiar looking knit-work peeks out amongst the group of items.

Tobias picks up the beanie and shakes it in hopes of detaching it from any dust and dirt.

He remembers leaving it behind.

He never thought she would have saved it.

 _Why did she save it?_

Tobias frowns to himself as he picks up the rest of the items on the ground, but his motions freeze when he spots another familiar looking item on the ground.

 _ **The Secret Love Letter**_

He knows the book by heart and can recognise its cover at any moment.

And he can also recognise that this isn't his copy.

Which means that she has bought a new one for herself.

 _But why would she buy a copy of the book?_

Shaking his head and deducing that it was a good book and she probably just loves it as much as he does and that it probably doesn't have anything to do with sentimental values or something, he stuffs them into the bag and slings it over his shoulder.

CCO

Her phone rings in her pocket, but she ignores it, dragging her feet on the wet tarred road.

Faces pass by her, some smiling, some even laughing, but the faces seem to fly away with the wind, none of them catching her eyes, none of them registering in her mind.

All that she has in her mind is the fact that she refuses to go back to that university. She does not want to wear that stupid blue scarf any longer. She does not want to write another assignment for that professor. She does not want to sit in another class with him.

And she does not want to look into the all too knowing eyes of her roommate. Nor does she want to have to look into the pitiful eyes of her brother and sister.

The dean told her that there is a small bar at the end of the road just a few feet away from the university. And though she has no clue as to why the dean told her this bar, she is grateful that she did.

For even if she is not looking forward to having a refreshing shot, she is planning to forget all about her night.

And that array of refreshments can serve both choices.

Her phone rings again and she grabs it from her pocket, switches the phone off and drops it to the ground.

CCO

Mayhem keeps his silence, allowing the crickets to do the talking for the both of them.

Tobias feels thankful for that.

As they near the tall apartment, a loud car alarm goes off and Edward curses, running towards the parking lot with his car keys in hand.

"Wait up, Eaton!" He shouts behind his shoulder. "I'll be right back in a while."

Tobias shakes his head, leaning on a lamp post as he looks up into the sky—his eyes immediately meet Orion and Eridanus.

 _"So have you mapped out the whole Eridanus?" He asks as he lies down beside her, occasionally getting a few blonde strands into his eyes when the wind blows pass them._

 _"Yeah. It's that one." She replies with a proud glint in her eyes, her thin finger pointing up towards the long stretch of stars._

 _Tobias frowns for a moment as his eyes scan the twinkling stars. "You know, they shouldn't name it the river." He remarks. "It should be given a name which gives it a greater impact."_

 _"Like?" She asks, turning around to look at him._

 _"I don't know." He shrugs. "Something much more... grand. Something which makes it sound awesome and epic."_

 _Tris laughs at him and he looks at her with his deep frown- confused as to why she is laughing at him when he is being very serious and nothing more than logical._

 _"Try canyon." She finally suggests after she sobers up._

 _"Nah... We already have The Grand Canyon."_

 _"I don't know... Gulf? Ravine? Gorge? Chasm?"_

 _His eyes light up and he claps his hands. "That's the word! Chasm... The Grand Chasm of Eridanus where only those of dauntless hearts can cross—like Orion over there."_

 _She laughs at him once more, but he ignores it this time. In fact, maybe he revels in it... savours it._

For until this day, he can still clearly hear the merry sound of her laughter ringing in his ears.

His lips curve up into a small smile, but his eyes glisten with tears.

 _Why oh why has he been so foolish?_

"Professor Eaton?"

Tobias quickly wipes his eyes with the sleeves of his brown coat and looks down at the dean in front of him.

"Y-yes-" He clears his throat a little, coughing for a few seconds to mask it. "Yes Miss Pri- err, I mean Dean Gla-"

"No time for the formalities, Eaton." She speaks with urgency. "I really need to warn you about something and we don't have much time."

CCO

Beatrice counts the number of shops she passes by, kicking an empty bottle aside as she drags her feet, making sure that she gets the right building before she reaches for the handle of the back door which she hopes will lead her to the bar the dean mentioned to her.

Just as she touches it, the cold, metal knob turns in her hands before the door swings open and she instinctively takes a step back to take in the figure in front of her.

She takes another step back when she does, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Why hello there sweet cakes. Missed me?"

CCO

"You mean... what?"

The dean bites into her lips. "Haven't you ever found it odd that it was so easy for you to get this job? You obviously don't even qualify for it."

"No, I mean, no... you mean to tell me that all of this is a setup? That you purposely appointed me as the philosophy professor so that I'd be reconciling with Miss Prior for some pent up vengeance?" Tobias asks.

The dean nods her head.

"Why? What did I ever do to you?"

The dean sighs, biting her lower lip harshly. "It's not for me. I was forced into this. I'm just playing my part to save my niece... and now I'm regretting it."

Tobias shakes his head and leans back onto the lamppost. "So what did you have in plan? Make me reconcile with Miss Prior then charge me for it?"

"It's even bigger than that Mr. Eaton." The dean says. "Much bigger than that and it's supposed to emotionally and mentally scar Miss Prior so badly... in simple words, their goal is to abuse her until she's begging for her death and by the time you find out about things, you'll never be able to forgive yourself for not being able to save her. All you have to know now is that Miss Prior is in grave danger and you better head to that pub downtown right now. It will only take about three minutes—two if you are quick, and I sure hope that you are."

CCO

Beatrice takes another step back, still blatantly shaking her head at him. "No... you... the police-"

"Are such dumb people that they can't even keep a simple guy like me locked in a prison."

"You should not... be able to do that." She accuses, before two more men appear from the shadows, making their way towards her.

Only now does it dawn on her.

 _This is real._

 _It isn't a mere dream._

Her eyes seek for the empty glass bottle she kicked just a few seconds ago.

"Why sweet-cakes? I'm not smelling like how I used to?" He crackles. "Don't worry dear, I've got a new cologne. Some call it chlorophome and I think you'd very much like it."

CCO

He hears a high pitched scream and his legs swing faster.

 _That scream... that cry of help..._

He knows that voice all too well.

He knows that scream all too well.

And he also knows what might happen after that if he is too late.

The sound of glass shattering comes from his right and he quickly runs towards it, squinting his eyes to get a clearer view of the dark alley.

Black shadows catch his sight and he runs towards it until the sounds of grunts, both male and female reach his ears and he instinctively shouts at them.

But when he reaches close, his legs freeze and his eyes open wide in shock.

Two men lie unconscious on the ground, one of them bleeding heavily at the head while another runs away from the fray.

And the blonde girl...

The small blonde girl pants heavily, a broken green bottle clutched tightly in her left hand and when their eyes meet, Tobias isn't sure who is breathing heavier.

She holds him in such an intense gaze with a feral and untamed fire burning in her eyes—somehow, he believes that she is actually wishing to smash that green bottle on his head before she turns around limping away from him.

"Tris!"

It was a harsh whisper, a sudden blurt of word, an urgent call.

But it hit her—it hit her like a crashing wave— threatening to break down the dam she's built to block the happy memories from coming back.

"Tris..." He whispers again, softly this time, and more like a thin layer of fog as it encircles, enwraps her in a calming yet so haunting and all the more intoxicating hold—and she can no longer see the path which she was heading to.

Beatrice looks up into the dark blue eyes she's taught herself to hate—but her heart still refuses to not love.

 _Why am I still falling for you?_

She turns her head away, limping away from him once again and blocking out his voice from reaching her ears just like what he has done to her yesterday.

Tobias calls out for her again and again, running after her when she starts to pick up her speed.

"Damn it Tris, please listen to me or at least let me help you, you are going to fall for goodness sake stop being such a stubborn head!"

"It is Miss Prior." She spits with venom, finally giving him a breath of relief when she stops running and turns around to face him. She points the sharp edges of the broken bottle at him—he pulls that breath of relief back in. "And I am perfectly fine with walking by myself."

"For crying out loud, stop being so imma—"

"And if you can excuse me, I have nothing left to do here, I am probably just going to get back to looking for the next rich guy I can hit on and it doesn't even matter at any rate because you have totally moved on from me."

Tobias bites the insides of his lower lip, closes his eyes and shakes his head.

CCO

Edward presses the button on his remote control and the car beeps before the alarm goes off. He checks the windows and the doors, frowning when the car seems to be very much fine.

 _Why did the alarm go off? It's not like his car is some super expensive Alfa Romeo that everyone would want to steal and it's not like there is anything of value inside his car._

A loud, punk-ish rock music screams from his coat pocket and he digs his hand into it, fishing out his phone.

He frowns at the caller ID.

"What's wrong?" He asks as he makes his way back to where he left his workmate with his phone pressed to his ear.

"Edward Peters, what in the freaking world have you been doing? I thought that the plan was clear, you are to hold that stupid Eaton kid out of the picture while I get the job done."

Edward frowns. "I... I brought him along with me to my house and my car alarm wen—how can he even know where the girl is?"

"I don't know Ed, but all that I know is that our plan is just damn fucked up and I can't even walk properly anymore. I don't what the fucking hell happened to that girl, but she beat the living shit out of Drew and Molly and I barely escaped her manic attack."

"Wait, what?" Edward exclaims. "Hold on Al, you mean to say—"

"I mean to say what I said and you should fucking stop her now. She ran away with her dear fallen knight chasing after her. Our dear Dean Zoe Gladwing was right, they're at each other's neck right now and so Prior is now limping her way back to the campus alone."

Edward gulps.

"You better stop her before she starts to tell stories or I swear that I will drag your Myra girl to hell and back."

"Woah, hold it Albert. You are my _younger_ brother. You don't just threaten me like that. I agreed to help you with this because you promised that you will help us get a lawyer out of prison so I can reconcile with Myra."

"I don't fucking care anymore, I don't need a little bird to chatter stories to the cops."

"It's not my fault that you live such a twisted life. I never agreed to lead the gang dad had bequeathed to us."

"I said I don't fucking care and so I don't fucking care! Don't you get it, Ed? You stop the girl, bring her to our HQ and I will let you, your Myra girl and her pathetic aunt free. Now get on with it!"

The line beeps once before it goes dead.

"Damn you, Albert." Edward curses, unlocking his car to pull out a baseball bat from the boot of his car before running towards the direction of the pub which his brother has told the Dean to tell the girl.

"And damn you, Prior." He swears, eyeing the petite blonde figure as she limps her way towards a flight of staircase, a broken green bottle clutched tightly in her left hand.

He stalks his way towards her, hiding behind a shrub of leaves as he watches her.

 _He needs to knock her unconscious on the spot. The blow must be hard._

Just as the girl takes a step down the first flight of staircase, he jumps out and runs towards her.

A flash of green whizzes towards him, but he dodges it and grabs the green bottle from her hands, cutting her fingers at the same time, and swings his armed hand forth.

The barrel of the baseball bat collides with her forehead and she screams just as her body tumbles down the stone steps.

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 **P/S: MUAHAHAHA! I feel so evil leaving you guys hanging like that :K**


	25. Chapter 25: Gladwing

**THIS CHAPTER WAS TAKEN DOWN BRIEFLY BECAUSE I NEEDED TO EDIT A BIG PART OF IT.**

 **To those who have read the un-edited version, basically, all that I did was reclarify a conversation which was confusing and did some major editing on the scene where Tobias brings Tris to his room. So you might want to read through that part.**

 **Sorry for the inconvenience.**

 **~Lynda**

* * *

 **A/N: :)**

 **Here is my attempt in seeking for forgiveness for the previous cliffhanger. And please, do excuse me and notify me if you find any typos or grammatical mistake. I just ran through this chapter twice to make sure that it is okay and I am not so sure if it is but... I thought that it'll be nice to post this up extra early as a thank you to you guys who have been staying with me throughout the story. Believe me, posting a story which no one reads is like an opera singer singing in an empty auditorium- sad, weird and lonely.**

 **And I am feeling very fever-ish actually (I am going to kill that guy who got me infected with his germs). So there might be a lot of typos and grammar mistakes which slipped through my filterings. And the writing quality might lack somewhere here and there, but please notify me and tell me where, if you find any, are the lacking parts. Because I'd like to look through them and maybe fix them once I feel better.**

 **Have a great week and don't stress too much through school, work, or anything you're going to need to go through! x**

* * *

 **The end is near.**

 **Have fear.**

* * *

Divergentmaniac: Hey ,Sorry that i have not reviewed for a long time...life was giving me a tough time recently and so i couldn't read fanfiction...but when i checked it today and saw so many updates from u..it literally made my day. I absolutely love the way this story is progressing. Every chapter holds a new surprise and had i read each them individually i would have probably died of suspence waiting for the the next chapter! I feel very sorry for Tobias and Beatrice. just as thing seem to be going good for them..something or someone has to spoil it..it almost seems as if fate does not want them to be together. But hopefully this long wait and these struggles that they are facing will make their relationship much stronger and their reconciliation 100 times better. This chapter was very surprising. can't believe that albert and edward and the dean are all involved in this racket. and dear old fernando...i sincierly hope he gets the idea and backs off. I cant wait to see what happens next.

Until the next chapter  
Divergentmaniac :)

 **Hi! I have been wondering where have you been to. I hope that you'll have the strength to go through your life's trials.**

 **:) Yeah, that's what I have in mind. Struggles and trials will test a relationship's strength and make them much better- if they survive throught the trial that is.**

 **The Albert, Edward and the dean's story will be explained through the dean's words in this chapter. But I am thinking of making another Tumblr post where I will compile all the clues which hints at the Peters' plans which I dropped throughout the story. I will be sure to notify you once I have posted it up.**

 **Fernando is like a dog without a bone, running after one. He's just looking for someone to love and care really. He just got a little bit too obsessed and possessive of Beatrice since he's sort of like... imprinted himself on her and couldn't find a way to leave her, even if it's better that way. I pity him.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

A familiar high pitched scream tears through the night once more and Tobias finds himself running towards the direction which she went.

His heart drops when he reaches the end of a staircase.

A trail of green glass shards litters across the ground in front of him and right at the middle lies his student—knocked out cold.

"Goodness, Tris!" He cries, running towards his student.

"I told you that you are going to fall, but you are so stubborn. You and that stubborn little head of yours, how many times have you fallen off a flight of steps because of your pretty but so freaking stubborn head?"

"Eaton?"

Tobias turns around to look at the man behind him.

"Eaton what happened?"

Tobias checks her bones to make sure that there aren't any serious damage, cursing when he finds out that her left ankle is definitely broken. "I heard a scream." He quickly lies, also noticing that there is a very red spot in her forehead, ready to turn into a bad bruise in a few minutes. "And so I ran from our apartment."

"Well what exactly happened? She seems pretty badly hurt, it couldn't just be a simple fall—what with the glass shards and all."

Tobias doesn't reply as he pulls the unconscious girl into his arms, striding back towards the university in hurried steps yet being extremely careful to not drop her down or he is going to kill himself for it.

The path towards the infirmary seems to stretch even longer by the passing minute and the blood seeping from her fingers starts to soak into his brown coat.

"Goodness Tris..." He mutters. "What have you been eating? You've grown so much heavier..."

Edward grips the baseball bat behind his back and swings his arm slightly to the back—

"Professor Eaton, is that... Beatrice?"

Edward's eyes snap to the brunette girl standing in front of Tobias.

Her voice runs cold inside his body, creeping its way into his heart.

His armed hand drops to his side.

His knees lock themselves in place.

"Gladwing. You're her classmate aren't you?" Eaton asks in front of him.

"Roommate even." She nods, jogging to catch up with the professor as he strides hurriedly. "She didn't come back even when it was reaching midnight and she didn't answer my calls. The security guard called me to take a phone he found on the ground since my contact number was one of the last dialled number and I panicked as the phone was Tris's and I thought that she's probably in danger since she never leaves her phone around and though her bag can get messed up, but she isn't so forgetful as to leave her phone."

"Well it's okay. I've found her now and I'll bring her over to the infirmary. You aren't supposed to be hanging around the university post-midnight so why not you get back to your dorms?"

"But Profe—"

"I'll have Mayhem here to escort you back."

Myra freezes in her steps.

"M—Mayhem?"

Tobias nods his head leaving the two of them behind.

"Ed... Edward... Edward Peters?"

Tobias freezes.

"Peters?" He gasps, slowly turning around to face the man behind him.

His green eyes stare back into his midnight blue ones and Tobias's jaw drops by an inch.

 _He knew that he's seen those eyes somewhere._

 _He knew that he hates the way they look when Edward is smirking at him._

 _He knew that he's always had the temptation to punch him in the face every-time Edward looks at him with mischief._

Sirens wail around them and blue lights start to flash wildly before three police cars make themselves noticeable. Edward tries to run away, but he is too late.

Three cops jump down from one of the cars and handcuffs Edward before another few dashes for Tobias with more handcuffs in hand.

"Let him go, please." A brunette lady speaks as she steps out from one of the police cars. "He's innocent, _this_ is the Mr. Eaton I told you about."

"Aunt Zoe?" Myra asks, eyes widening in horror when she sees that her aunt has her hands locked together by a handcuff. "What... what's happening?"

"It's a long story dear." The dean sighs, watching the fallen knight running towards the infirmary with his lover held tightly in his arms. "But no matter what you'll be reading in the papers, know that I've been doing all this to save you... until I realise that I have no rights to ruin your friend's life. She deserves to be happy, just like you. You'll find out what is and has been happening when you read the papers tomorrow or maybe the day after." The dean pulls out a white envelope from her pocket. "But while that, I wish that you can pass this to your philosophy professor."

Myra bites her lower lip harshly. A metallic tangy taste of blood seeps onto her tongue, as she watches the police cars driving away from her one by one.

CCO

Tobias rushes into his bedroom, places the limp body on his bed and throws her brown book bag onto his desk chair. He pauses, watching how her chest rises and falls so peacefully despite the fact that her skin is scratched, battered, bruised...

 _Is it wrong for him to treat her injuries by himself?_

 _ **Can he** treat her injuries by himself? _

_**Yes** , you **can** do this, Eaton. It's not like the nurses at the infirmary can do a better job than you can. _

_What did you learn at school when you were younger? The best way to treat a broken bone is to rest it, ice it, compress it and elevate it. He has rested her leg, and so now he should ice it._

Tobias nods his head to himself once before he runs to his kitchen to pull out some ice, divides them by half and wraps them into two separate cloths.

Flicking his bedside lamp on, Tobias unbuttons her coat and lifts her up softly to remove it from her body as he places one of the cloth filled with ice on the bluish-red bruise on her forehead and the other on her ankle.

 _Compress, Tobias—compress the injury... You need a bandage for you to do that._

 _Where did you keep your bandage?_

He marches into his bathroom to fetch his first aid kit and lay the contents out on the bed, chewing on the insides of his cheeks as he tries his best to aid her injuries.

 _You can do this Tobias. Just... keep a calm head and remember what you've learnt from school on first aid tips._

Biting his lower lip, Tobias places the bandage at the ball of her foot, wraps the bandage around it once before circling it around the arch of her foot.

 _A figure eight pattern, Tobias. Wrap the bandage around her foot and ankle in a figure eight pattern._

Slipping the bandage behind her ankle, Tobias tries his best to keep it still as a voice in his head repeatedly reminds him to not move her ankle too much or he might worsen the injury.

The bandage runs to an end and Tobias holds it in place with a bandage hook.

 _Rest, ice, compress, elevate..._

 _He needs to elevate it next._

Tobias reaches for one of the spare pillows on the head of his bed and places into under her wrapped ankle before he presses the clothed ice back onto it.

 _There, you did it Tobias. Great job._

He smiles proudly at himself, though frowns when he realises that her fingers are still clotted with blood and that there is a fierce red line which cuts across her right cheek. His fingers grazes her cheek to examine it, his eyes trained wholly onto them.

 _"There's still this bruise Tobias." She says, pointing at the purple swell on her cheek._

 _He taps his chin in a motion of keeping a serious face—a wide grin still peeks through his lips. "This one," Tobias says, pointing at the bruise. "Will disappear with a kiss."_

The corners of his lips quirk up.

It was an excuse—a stupid and dumb excuse.

A stupid and dumb excuse to see how will it feel like to kiss her cheeks.

But it worked.

He kissed her.

And her cheeks... they felt soft. Her cheeks felt so soft against his lips.

And when he licked his lips the moment after, they tasted sweet.

 _Will they still taste sweet now?_

His eyes flicker up to her closed eyelids.

 _She won't wake up yet, right?_

Biting his lower lip, Tobias sits down on his desk chair and rests a palm on the pillow beside her head and bends down towards her face, her steady breath fans against his ear and the heady smell of her vanilla and spices cologne infiltrates his senses and his lips dances a few centimetres away from their intended target—reaching for the corner of her lips instead.

The doorbell rings twice and Tobias springs back, his chair screeching as the force of his surprise pushes it back.

The doorbell rings again before Tobias quickly rushes out of his bedroom, frowning and shaking his head at himself.

 _That was not supposed to happen, Eaton._

His eyes widen and his cheeks redden when he sees a short brunette girl standing in front of his front door which has been left ajar during his frenzy.

The front door which directly faces the bedroom door.

The bedroom door which has also been left opened after he went to fetch the ice pack from the freezer.

The bedroom door which directly faces the bed and his desk chair.

 _His desk chair which he was sitting on during his crazed stupor._

"My aunt, the dean, she gave me this." She says, a frown etched deeply on her lips.

 _Thank goodness she didn't notice my crazed stupor._

"And she told me to give it to you." She continues to which he frowns in return.

"Oh." Tobias replies shortly as he plucks the envelope from her fingers.

The Cincinnati University crest decorates the top left corner of the envelope and the name Mr. Eaton is carefully written in the middle of the envelope. Tobias flips the envelope around to tear the envelope open.

"Umm... Professor?"

Tobias looks up from the paper.

"Can I... see how Beatrice is doing?"

He turns to look at the lady on his bed—she still hasn't moved, still asleep—unconscious.

"Yeah." He replies to the brunette, nodding his head twice. "And can you help me clean the blood on her hands while I read this?" He asks as he locks his front door and pulls out a chair from under the dining table.

Myra nods her head before running off towards the bedroom Two pieces of folded papers spill out of the envelope as he shakes the envelope upside down. Tobias picks up one of them and unfolds it.

 _ **Mr. Eaton,**_

 _ **I wish to convey my sincerest apology for bringing you into this whole mess.**_

 _ **It was a couple of months ago when you applied to work as our philosophy professor that Mr. Mayhem, or his real name, Edward Peters, pushed for me to accept it. I didn't understand why should I enrol you as our philosophy professor when you clearly do not even qualify for the position. And as the head of the department, I refuse to accept an application simply because of Mayhem's reasoning that as a freshly graduated person, you'd understand how the students will feel and act, thus, will know how to handle them better.**_

 _ **If you can handle a class but are unable to teach them, what is the purpose of being a professor?**_

 _ **I was about to decline your application when his brother, Albert Peters, entered the office and threatened me that if I do not accept your application, he will harm my niece—who is also a student of yours. And though my niece and I are not very close, I still feel obliged to accept your application in order to save her.**_

 _ **Since then, they always came up with orders and instructions on what I should and should not do if I want my niece to be safe. Right then, they usually told me to keep you near Mayhem at all times so that he can keep a close eye on you and so that he can also look for ways to get you and Miss Prior closer with each other—which perplexed me, but I wasn't so worried about it.**_

 _ **But one day, I heard them discussing about a certain plan to kidnap and harm Miss Prior. When I asked them why, they told me that it is out of vengeance but none of it is a part of my business to know. It puzzled me... why didn't they just kidnap Miss Prior instead of trying to get her close to you first if they are having a grudge against her. But when I noticed how furious Albert Peters usually gets at the mention of your name that he even told us to only call you as the Fallen Knight, I realised that he wasn't holding a grudge over Miss Prior. He was holding a grudge against you.**_

 _ **And the cruellest way for a person to punish another is to take away someone who they love. And though I couldn't understand why didn't they just killed or tortured your family, I guess they have their own reasons for it. In fact, throughout the whole process, Albert Peters always seems like he has a special interest in Miss Prior and is much more excited about the part where he can torture the poor lady instead of the part where he will throw hr soulless vessel on your front doorstep and get his vengeance. I suppose that maybe you can understand that part though since you have known him before?**_

The paper crumples in his curling fist.

 _That sick bastard!_

 ** _When the two of you finally got together, the plan was to simply kidnap Miss Prior on her birthday last Sunday before that sunset meeting you were supposed to have with her. (Yes, the Peters have read that letter which you left on Miss Prior's doorstep.) What they had in mind was that the Albert Peters would wait at that little corner in the library to drug her unconscious while Mayhem hold you back in your office. Unfortunately for them, Mr. Wolt ruined the whole plan by getting there right before Miss Prior entered the library and also by breaking the two of you apart._**

 ** _Fortunately for the Peters though, Miss Prior ended up in a fight with Mr. Wolt about it and went physically offensive on him which gave me an excuse to arrange that 'detention' which the Peters were hoping will rekindle your relationship with her._**

 ** _What happened, however, was even better. Though you didn't kiss and make up or anything near to that, you realised that Miss Prior isn't to blame for the library affair and you were feeling both guilty for accusing her of such things and your passion and longing and desperation for her dramatically increased. Thus, it was the perfect time for them to strike for you'd feel even guiltier if she comes back weak and hurt and practically dying—or maybe even dead, when you haven't gotten the chance to apologise and make up for your mistakes—she'll die thinking that you were a mistake._**

Tobias bites into his lower lip as it starts to shake.

 _He must not tear up this letter._

 _He needs to know what happened._

He forces the lump in his throat down and the red cloud in his head away.

Tobias reads on.

 _ **When Mayhem returned to the lecturer's office to distract you and bring you over to his room—with an intention of overriding your systems with alcohol, and Albert Peters has instructed all of his lackeys to help him kidnap the girl, I made an immediate decision to call for the police and also to distract Mayhem by sounding his car alarm in order for me to be able to warn you about the danger Miss Prior was in.**_

 _ **That is when I decided to write this letter. It is not in my intention to write it so that you will understand the situation I was forced into in hopes that you will forgive and forget like I didn't just endanger Miss Prior's life, but I believe that you deserve a better explanation of what has happened instead of what I have told you in front of your apartment just now or what you will learn from the news.**_

 _ **I hope that my actions haven't scarred your or Miss Prior's lives badly and that the two of you will get a better life in the future—you both deserve it.**_

 _ **Send my regards to my niece, Myra Gladwing and if she asks for an explanation over what I have done, I won't restrict you to tell or to not tell her about the accounts which I have written in this letter—I will leave that decision to you.**_

 _ **The other letter consists of the details of the last action I took before I step down from my position in the university.**_

 _ **Signed,**_

 _ **Zoe Gladwing.**_

With a frown, Tobias unfolds the second letter.

 ** _Zoe Gladwing  
365C, Bellevue Avenue,  
Cincinnati, Ohio_**

 ** _26th October 2015_**

 ** _Tobias Eaton  
Professor of Philosophy,  
Cincinnati University._**

 ** _Dear Mr. Tobias Eaton,_**

 ** _This letter is being written on behalf of Cincinnati University. It is the formal notification that your position in the arts department of the university has been terminated due to your lack of performance. This is effective after your last day of work, which was October 26th, 2015._**

 ** _You have demonstrated an unfortunate lack of productivity in teaching. We have received several complaints about your failure in explaining certain theories and concepts from your own students._**

 ** _We are expecting for you to leave your room keys, office keys, and any other equipments which have been lent to you by the university on your desk and also that you have cleared your belongings from your room and desk by tomorrow morning._**

 ** _I am deeply sorry for firing you from your position, but because of your lack of performance, this issue is unnegotiable. Maybe if you improvise yourself and reapply for the position one day, we will be happy to take you in._**

 ** _Respectfully,_**

 ** _Zoe Gladwing  
Dean of the Department of Arts,  
Cincinnati University_**

The paper feels heavy in his hands as his eyes reread the letter again and again.

 _Terminated._

 _Fired._

 _He is to leave this place by tomorrow morning._

 _What is he going to tell his father?_

 _How can he take care of Tris?_

 _How can he even be with Tris?_

 _How can he even see Tris?_

He can't just linger around the campus like an obsessed stalker once he has nothing to do here. But who is going to take care of her while he is away and she is still in her healing process? Who is going to make sure that she will rest properly before she can walk again? And someone has to monitor her while she is still suffering from a post-concussion syndrome.

Tobias scratches his head furiously.

If this letter had come into his hands a month ago, he'd have rejoiced. He was desperate to get away from her. Desperate to not see her again, to not hear her voice again.

But now...

Now he is desperate to stay and watch her eyes twinkle and hear her merry laughter.

Desperate to stay and have ridiculous philosophical debates with her.

Desperate to stay and just... be there with her, for her, to keep on loving and caring for her.

To just see her smile, hear her talk, just...

Crumpling the paper and tossing it aside, Tobias pushes himself away from the dining table and trudges towards his bedroom. He leans his body to the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and watches the niece of the dean as she talks to Tris in a low voice.

For a moment, his heart skips a beat as he thought that Tris has actually woken up until he realises that her eyes are still closed.

"It's getting late." He announces, shocking Myra. "You should get back to your dorms."

Myra Gladwing presses her upper teeth onto her lower lip and releases a sigh through her nose. She whispers a few more words to the unconscious lady before pushing herself up from the bed and stepping out of the room.

The letter still lies on top of the dining table. Tobias picks it up.

"The dean—your aunt," He starts, scratching the back of his neck. "She's been a brave woman and a great aunt."

Myra furrows her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

He hands the letter to her which she slowly unfolds until Tobias stops her.

"Keep it, read it later." He says, placing a hand behind her back as he escorts her to his front door. "I was serious when I told you that it's getting really late and that you should get back to your room. You don't know what may lurk in the shadows."

Myra offers a small smile and a silent thanks as she pockets the letter and steps out of the front doorway. She takes another step forth before pausing and turning around to face him.

"You know, Beatrice she... loves you very much."

Tobias frowns. "She mentioned that she loved me. She probably doesn't any longer."

"Well no matter whatever she said, professor, you should know better than to trust her exact words without analising her actions." Myra crosses her arms over her chest. "She said that she loved you, yes. Maybe her lips had utter that. But how can you be sure that she meant those words? How can you be sure that it came from her heart? How can you be sure that her heart agreed on it?"

Tobias fidgets with his fingers in his pocket.

"Love comes from the heart, professor. And unless her heart agrees on what she said, her lips can never define her feelings."

"You should probably go now." Tobias blurts out, looking up to her eyes for a split second before they avert themselves to glance at the wall behind her head.

"I will." Myra replies, nodding her head. "And I hope that, since I am incapable of it, you'd take a good care of her. Just... think of all this as a trial to test the strength of your faith and love for one another."

Myra shrugs her shoulders a little before walking away from him.

His eyes linger on the young lady until she disappears from the corridor.

His lips curl up into a small, shy smile.

"Thanks." He whispers through the darkness.

* * *

 **P/S: Please, do not just wrap your broken ankles with a bandage and think that it is good enough. It is not and we will see what happens to her injury in the future chapters (don't worry. It isn't something too bad.).**


	26. Chapter 26: Daffodils

**A/N: Hello!**

 **I really don't know how good is this chapter. I am so sorry if it isn't. Spoiler-not-so-spoiler: This chapter is just practically filled with Tobias and Tris bickering with each other. A.K.A. drama.**

 **So please tell me if there's something which you don't like or even like because they help me out with my future writing in the sense of that I will know what works and what don't and etc.**

 **I've got to be honest and say that I am feeling talky and rambly.**

 **And the fever-ish feel is still lingering in my throat.**

 **And my head is like kinda heavy with sleepiness and like something on the dizzy side.**

 **So anyway, thank you for staying tune and I apologise if I have dissapointed any of you with my writing. And also a big thank you to my dear sister Nalash Polal Falayt who stayed up with me till two in the morning to listen (and watch?) me reading through this chapter and giving me feedbacks on what sounded too repetitive and what should I add in and which sentence sounds better and so on. A.K.A., thank you for betaing.**

 **Now on with this story or I will never stop typing.**

* * *

 **FourTris3: :) Thank you so much! I hope that I will continue to cheer up your weekends!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

 _Warmth..._

 _Home..._

Beatrice snuggles herself deeper in the thick blanket which covers her chest and takes in a deep breath...

 _Musky..._

 _Like amber and sandalwood..._

Amber and sandalwood?

Her eyes slam open and she jumps up, but a horde of construction workers march into her head, drilling at every piece of bone they meet and banging their mallets madly at her skull. She presses her fingers to her head, hissing when she hits a particular spot on her forehead. It stings badly.

The mattress dips down and she feels a hand pushing her back onto the pillows.

"Shh... Stay still." He whispers as a cold sensation sweeps through her brain when a freezing cloth touches the stinging spot on her head.

Beatrice closes her eyes and sighs when another hand combs through her hair in a comforting rhythm, pressing through her scalp in a soft massage.

"You shouldn't have walked on, I told you so."

Her forehead creases and her eyelids lift open.

Glaring at him, Beatrice pushes herself away from her professor, clutching her head when it screams in pain once again.

"Honestly, Tri-"

"Miss _Prior_." She cuts off, glaring at the professor who looks back at her with his lips pressed tightly together.

Tobias huffs a breath through his nose. "Stay still or you are going to wor-"

"I am completely able of taking care of myself."

"Your condition is not so fine, you broke your ankle for goodness-"

"I've had to use a wheelchair and a pair of crutches one year ago."

"Could you just, for your own sake, listen to me for once?"

Beatrice squints her eyes in anger, crossing her arms and huffing out a breath. Silently telling her headache to leave her alone right now.

"Give me a reason." She demands.

Tobias knits his eyebrows together. "What?"

"Tell me why do I have to listen to you."

He slaps the palm of his hand on his forehead. "You are obviously not well, of course you have to listen to me."

Beatrice tsks. "You don't even care about me."

"But Tri-"

"I'm just wasting your time, I'm just hitting on every rich guy I come across and like, who am I even kidding with? You have fucking moved on. Your heart probably belongs to someone else. Why in the world _should_ you care about me?"

Water drips down from the cloth in Tobias's hand as he fists it tightly, eyes shut tight.

"How _can_ I?" He questions, opening his eyes to look down at hers. "How _can_ I? I haven't held my own heart for more than a whole year. You stole it from me and kept it all to yourself. How can I give it to someone else when it isn't with me."

Her eyes start to glaze with emotion.

But they flicker.

And the emotion is gone, replaced with the cold and hard look which she has been giving him ever since they met at the dark alley.

"Words... lies..." Beatrice even scoffs to prove her disbelieve. "What do you think I am? A girl who'd kiss your feet just because of a supposed confession?"

"No." Tobias replies, voice soft yet stern. "I believe that you are a lady who costs more than flowers and chocolates. Who costs more than sweet talks and light flirting. Who costs more than any pricey gifts that money can buy. You are a lady who owns so much dignity in you that you won't ever want to open up to a boy even when he has proven to you that you mean the world to him and even when he has sacrificed so much for you."

"It's good that you know that."

"And yet I also believe that you have too much dignity that you won't want to ever stop and realise how wrong you are to your own self for denying the boy his well-deserved trust and affections for it is not only him who you are torturing, but your very own soul. Your dignity is held so high up that you don't ever want to admit that you have fallen for this said boy.

And yet I also believe that all this dignity came from a deep fear. A fear of loving another person, only to have him leave you. A fear of trusting another person, only to have him betraying you. A fear of creating a new weakness in yourself for you fear of being fooled by them. A fear which probably came from a very traumatic incident."

Beatrice stares at her toes. Her nails scratch a long red mark on her forearm, only to have it repeat the process again and again.

His fingers halt it.

She trashes.

"Can you leave me alone! Alright, you've managed to read me like an open book. Bravo! Ten stars! Cheers to the almighty Tobias Eaton! But I don't give a damn on how well you read me, now get out of my life and stop bothering me with your stupid love!"

His deep blue eyes start to gleam in a wild and furious colour.

She cowers back.

"Get out of your life?" He seethes. "Stop bothering you with my stupid love? Let me tell you, you uptight lady, you have no rights to stop me from feeling what I want to feel. And it is you who has been fucking up with my mind ever since you landed foot on that house in Chicago. _You_ are the one who wakes me up when you have nightmares in the middle of the night! _You_ are the one who was screaming for help in that alley a couple of hours ago. Then do you think that you can just dump me into the drain when you feel like you are done with me? I, miss dignified lady, also have my own dignity!"

"I never called for you to save me!" Beatrice screams back, shoving her fists at his chest when he comes too close to her. "I never woke you up in the middle of the night! It is your fault that you feel so nice."

Tobias catches her wrists and pulls them towards him. "Your screams reaps my heart every-single-freaking-time I hear it and you say that it is _my_ fault that I have to wake up because of your childish antics?"

"Well it is all your childish lovey-dovey antics to begin with!"

"You think I chose to fall in love with you?" His grip on her wrists tightens, his veins popping out of his skin at the ferocity of his grip. "You think I even _want_ to fall in love with you? It was never my choice to fall in love, Tris, I never chose to fall in love with you. You are both stupid and obnoxious if you believe that I purposely chose to fall for a person who believes that she is too high to spare her time on something as foolish as love. I don't know how it happened or when it happened. All that I know is that once I realise the fact that I have fallen for you, I chose to not deny my feelings and make a fool of myself. Unlike you who chose to bring the two of us into this whole screwed up life and make the world a living hell."

Her fingers twitch and she whimpers lightly.

His gaze falls down to his hands and he lets go of her. A splash of guilt washes through him when he sees the red marks on her wrists.

He pulls in one long breath and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, Beatrice finds herself staring into a lost pair of sorrowful blue orbs.

"I chose love, Tris. I chose love and I have been choosing it again and again. Yes, I've done stupid things. Yes, I've made silly assumptions. Yes, I've said silly and stupid things in my attempts to forgot about you when you were trying your best to ignore me. And in between of all these madness, my heart broke again and again and yet I am still foolishly choosing love. For all I know is that at the end of the day that is what you do. As long as it is not unlawful, as long as there is nothing to stop you from doing it, you choose to listen to your heart. You choose love."

He stares at her eyes for a long moment.

He stares at her lips for a brief moment.

His eyes flicker back to hers before they look away.

Beatrice wishes that he would just step in closer, lean down and press his lips to hers.

But he leaves her alone in the room which still smells intoxicatingly of him despite the fact that he is no longer there, twisting the knife in her heart even more.

Beatrice blinks and jumps when a loud crash and a guttural scream echoes from the door and reaps straight to her heart.

Her throat catches.

Her lips tremble.

A sob shakes her body and she can't hold her strong and dignified façade up any longer.

CCO

Tobias threads his feet towards the kitchenette, flicking the switch on and walking towards the cabinet. He pulls out a jar of crushed coffee beans and heats some water on the stove to brew himself a mug of coffee. He stares at the still water in the pot on the stove, red mug at the ready in his hand. He stares, and he glares, and he hates the water for taking such a long time to boil and he hates the coffee for needing hot water to dissolve itself, and he hates the steam rising from the pot for making the room so hot, and he hates his stupid feelings for making him feel stressed, and he hates Tris for making him stressed, and he hates his feelings for even giving a damn about that stupid blonde... _girl_.

He screams and he flings the mug onto the nearby wall and switches off the fire on the stove.

He hates that mug for being so red.

CCO

A constant ringing sound bothers him out of his sleep.

Tobias grunts as pushes himself up from the sofa, knowing that there's nothing that he can do to avoid answering the call now that he's woken up from his sleep anyway.

He lets out a whine and spiritlessly punches the wall beside him once he realises that his phone is in the bedroom.

Walking soundlessly into the room, Tobias picks up his phone from his dresser, making a point of not throwing a glance at the figure curled up on his bed. He walks to his balcony, sliding the glass door open though leaving it unshut as he answers the call.

"Hello?" He asks the caller, unknowingly waking the said figure on his bed with his voice.

"Hey son, I'm... so sorry for calling you this early."

Tobias pulls the phone away from his ear to check the time.

It is a quarter before six in the morning.

"Dad, it's okay." Tobias replies. "Just what seems to be the problem?"

"It's..." Marcus lets out a nervous breath. "Hard to explain really—umm... Look. I... had a fight with Christina and Johanna."

Tobias creases his forehead. "Okay..." He drawls, trying to assure himself more than his father.

"And... it went pretty bad I... scolded Christina. Because of reasons she really does deserve to be scolded for. But maybe not as bad or not as how I scolded her. But I did and I was not thinking really, I should have but I didn't—"

"Well the point is?"

"The point is, son please help me, it's already been like six to seven hours and both your mother and your sister haven't returned home."

Tobias almost drops his phone. "What the heck happened?"

"Well I scolded Christina and told her that she does not deserve to be called my daughter because of her low acts and I might have... did and said a few more things that she ran away and Johanna went out to look for her. She said that she won't come back until she has found Christina, but it is already hours since they left and Christina could not have possibly gone too far away but they are still not home. Son, I'm so sorry, I swear that I would not have called you but I am so worried I don't want anything bad to happen to them. Especially not Jo, please son, I am so worried, she won't answer my calls or my te—"

"Alright dad, just calm down first. I will think of a way to find them. Just stay there and calm down, you know that you have high blood pressure dad, you won't want to let it get too high okay? I promise that I _will_ look for them."

"But, how are you going to look for them? You are so far away, you have a job-"

"Had." Tobias corrects to which the line goes silent for a moment.

"What?" Marcus asks, still too shocked to process the newly obtained information.

"It's okay I'll explain later. All that is important now is that Christina and Johanna return home safe, alright?"

"Thank you, thank you so much."

"It's okay dad. Just, you stay safe yourself, okay? I will call you if there's anything. Take care dad."

Tobias ends the call, letting out a deep sigh as he dials Johanna's number.

"Darn it." He snaps when the line ends before it even reaches her voice mailbox.

"What's wrong?"

His blood runs cold at the sound of her voice.

"T-Tob…. Professor?"

Tobias marches up to his closet, reaping the door open and pulling down all of the clothes there are in it.

"Prof—"

"It's part of my personal affair and I shouldn't mix it with my professional ones."

She pulls her lower lip in between her teeth. "Please, Tob—"

"Make up your mind, Miss Helen Beatrice Prior."

Tobias drops the clothes he was holding, turning around to face her for the first time since he entered the room. "Do you want to live up with your pride, succumb in your own fears… or do you want to be dauntless?"

He looks away, unable to stare longer at her tear-stricken face, picking up the last of his clothes, jams it in his bag and zips it up. "Make up your mind and don't leave me hanging like this, Tris… please."

"I-I.…"

Tobias huffs and rolls his eyes. "You what?"

"I couldn't… I can't..." Beatrice presses the palms of her hands to her eyes, rocking herself softly. "I don't know, okay? I'm scared it's—it's hard for me."

Tobias breathes a sigh, and pulls the duffel bag up, placing it in front of his bedroom door. "We both are Tris. That's why love isn't that easy. That's what makes love so special."

The side pocket of Tobias's jeans vibrate and he quickly fishes his phone out, placing it to his ear the second he reads the name of the caller.

"Johanna!"

"Yes, Tobias dear."

"What happened? Dad said that you left."

"Yes, Tobias. I left, and I know that I haven't been answering his phone calls. But I am fine and really, I think he needs some space for him to think through his actions."

Tobias rubs his forefingers on his forehead. "What did he do?" He asks, chewing into the insides of his cheeks when Johanna remains silent.

"I think it is better if I explain it to you once I meet you. I'm in Cincinnati right now actually."

"You're in Cincinnati?"

"Yeah and I was thinking of dropping by to the university you're working at."

"No, no." Tobias shakes his head. "I'll come over to wherever you're staying at."

"No Tobias. It makes more sense for me to drop by your place. You can't just skip your work because of me and in fact, I need to see Tris."

His eyes look up to glance at the blonde lady on his bed before they snap away. "Tris?" He asks, walking out of his room and to the balcony, sliding the door shut behind him.

"Well, it's Christina actually who wants to talk to her. She said that she... owes Tris an apology."

Tobias rubs his temples with his forefingers. "Alright look... I understand why you see the logic in coming over here, but the point is, I was fired last night because of—"

"You were fired?"

"Yes, the dean said that I am incapable of teaching and I am supposed to leave my room and clear my desk by morning. So I really think that it'll make much more sense if it is I who visits your place instead of you mine."

Johanna heaves a sigh. "Right I'll... I'll text you the address in a moment."

A loud beep beeps once before the line runs dead and Tobias stares at his phone with a frown.

 _Christina wants to meet Tris...?_

Shaking his head, Tobias slides the door open to return to his bedroom.

"Johanna is in Cincinnati?"

Tobias huffs a breath.

"Chris ran away from home after a fight with dad."

He watches how her eyes widen but he doesn't leave a space for her to comment. "Johanna went after her, but they haven't returned yet and dad got worried. He called me and asked for me to help him find them. Turns out, they're in Cincinnati."

"And you're going to look for them?"

"Yes." He nods, turning away from her to pick up his duffel bag.

"Let me help you."

His jaw slackens and he turns around to look at her with wide eyes. "No, you're not."

Beatrice crosses her arms. "Why can't I?" She questions, a small fire flickering in her eyes.

"Well you obviously need some rest, your ankle is broken for goodness' sake."

She rolls her eyes and huffs in agitation. "I told you that I know how to use crutches and it makes sense for me to help you. I've been living in Cincinnati for about a year. I definitely know this place better than you do."

"Well you have studies to catch up with and it's not like you will know the whole Cincinnati."

"But I definitely know much more than you do and it's not like you don't have classes to teach."

Tobias clenches his jaw. "In fact I don't."

"…. What?"

"Apparently I didn't even qualify for the position and they just took me up for some... scams they came up with."

Beatrice presses her frowning lips tightly together. "I... really don't get it. Who... what? Scams?"

His throat bubbles up with something close to a chuckle, but he holds it back. His mind doesn't feel like he wants to smile at her just yet.

"It's not important. You'll find out one day." He replies, pulling out his phone from his pocket once again when it vibrates. He frowns at the address Johanna sent and throws his duffel bag over his shoulder.

 _Chestnut Street, Cincinnati..._

Tobias pulls out a set of keys from his laptop bag before a loud thud and a strangled grunt interrupts him.

"Goodness Tris, won't you ever learn to stop being such an idiot!" Tobias scolds, when he sees the girl lying on the ground beside his bed, clutching to her left ankle, eyes shut in agony.

He places an arm behind her back and tries to fit another arm under her knees when she pushes him away. "This is what I mean when I said that everyone thinks that I am nothing but a damsel in distress."

Tobias steps back and huffs a breath. "And this is what I mean when I said that there is a difference between what you can and what you can't do—that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy. You need help right now, Tris. Stop acting so defiant and let me help you. We don't have any crutches or a wheelchair, you _need_ my help."

Beatrice glares at the man in front of her as she places a hand on the floor and another on his bed as she tries to push and pull herself up. Her right leg manages to straighten itself and satisfaction starts to course through her veins. But right when she lifts her left leg up and lightly places it on the ground, her knees buckle once more and her arms fly out to brace herself for the fall which never came.

"I." Tobias pronounces, loud and clear as he hoists the girl into his arms. "Am. Not. Taking. Anymore. Objections."

Beatrice throws a hard punch onto Tobias's chest and he doubles back in pain, dropping Beatrice onto the bed to which she grunts when her head bounces on the mattress, sending a sharp jolt of shockwave to it.

Her stomach lurches for a moment.

She lifts her hands up to clutch her head, but a hand holds her wrists above her head and another presses down onto her stomach.

Beatrice tries to lift her legs to kick the man on top of him in reflex, but she finds her legs trapped between him and the bed as he straddles her.

"I am giving you an ultimatum, Miss Prior. You let me carry you to your room so that I can go and look for Johanna, or I am locking you in this one."

Despite her helpless state, Beatrice hasn't cowered back. If ever, the fire in her eyes only burns brighter.

Tobias expects nothing less.

"You are going to take me with you so I can look for Johanna."

"No. It's either you wait here, or I'll take you to your room."

"Come on Tobias!" She shouts with a strong shove of her legs in an attempt to free herself. "I can go through Cincinnati faster than you can, I know this place much better than you do."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I need your help."

"You are both stupid and obnoxious to believe that I am interested in helping you." She spits onto his face. "Your father and Johanna have been helping me—helping my siblings a lot ever since David was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment and even when we moved out of Chicago, they have been keeping in touch with us, making sure that everything is fine. They even visited us through the Winter holidays and gave us some financial aid when they found out how Caleb's job isn't doing so well. You, of course, won't know that since you were busy sulking in Princeton."

"I wonder whose fault is that."

"It is the least that I can do to repay their kind deeds."

His eyes flicker away from her gaze and his jaw clenches. Tobias frees her hands and sits up, pressing harder onto her legs as he brings out his phone from his pocket, swiping a finger on it before shoving the screen in front of her face.

"If you don't know this place, I'm leaving you with your Gladwing friend."

 _Chestnut Street..._

Her eyes shoot open and her back springs up from the bed. Beatrice snatches the phone from Tobias's fingers.

"This... is the address she gave you?" She asks, rereading the address ten more times.

"Yes." He replies curtly. "You... don't know it don't you?" He asks—he hopes.

"And... she said that she's here?"

"Cut it off, Prior. She gave me that address, she said that she's-"

"This is _my_ address. This is where _I_ live."

The size of his eyes match hers and he grabs his phone from her trembling fingers. "You're joking...?"

Beatrice rolls her eyes and pushes the man away from her. "Why would I be joking, Eaton?" She swings her legs to hang them down from the bed, gingerly placing them on the ground.

Tobias pulls her back, lifting her into his arms instead.

"You promised me that if I know that place, you are taking me with you." She protests with a finger pointed at his face.

"Yes, I am taking you with me but I never said that I am letting you walk by yourself, you are foolish if you think that you can ever do that. You can't even place your left foot on the ground without hurting it."

"I can hold the pain in."

"Will you stop being such a fuss and let me help you for your own sake?!"

CCO

Beatrice scowls at the clock on the LCD screen which also projects the taxi's stereo system control. It's been twelve minutes and that... Eaton... kid still hasn't returned.

He dumped her into this taxi, strapped her onto this seat and told the taxi driver to wait for a few and not let her walk out of the taxi while _he_ left her here.

 _Did he trick her? Leaving her in this taxi to make her believe that he is bringing her with him when he is actually using another mode of travel to look for Johanna?_

 _But where in the world can he find another taxi at this hour. The fact that he can find this one is already unbelievable._

"Is your friend going to take much longer?" The taxi driver asks her, fingers playing with the ends of his Mexican moustache.

She jumps in her seat when the car shakes and creaks and Beatrice quickly glances at the back of the car through the window.

Tobias throws in a large duffel bag and a familiar looking black wheeled luggage into the boot of the taxi before he climbs into the passenger seat beside hers, dumping her book bag and her coat on the seat in between the two of them.

"What took you so long?"

Tobias gives Beatrice a sideways glance before he reads out the address to the taxi driver who gives him a smile and a nod.

"Your Gladwing friend took too long to open the door."

Her eyes dart up to meet his. "My... what?"

"You are constantly dramatically shocked by everything I say. Your Gladwing friend took—"

"No, not that, stupid." She scolds him, sporting a pair of rolled eyes. "Why did you knock on her—our door?"

He shoots her an incredulous look. "Well we can't go without packing some clothes can we?"

"But we're going to _my_ house. I have clothes there."

His eyebrows shoot up and a silent "oh" escapes his mouth before he quickly covers it up with a stoic face and looks away. "There's no harm in being prepared for just in cases. We never know what may happen."

Beatrice rolls her eyes, pulling her right leg up to rest her chin on her knee as she stares out of the front window.

A flash of brown reaches for her and she jumps back, silently watching as Tobias pulls the seatbelt from her right side across her torso. He pulls back, but only to approach her once again, holding out a blue beanie—his blue beanie above her.

Beatrice tries to pull back and away from the blue knit-work, but Tobias insists.

"What do you care?" She huffs in defeat as he successfully tucks her head into the beanie.

"Your bruise repulses me." He mutters, closing his eyes and leaning his head back in an attempt to steal some rest.

"Well then don't look at it." She grumbles, opting to stare out of her side window instead.

The beanie stays on her head.


	27. Chapter 27: Christina's Confession

**A/N: I MADE IT!**

 **I MANAGED TO PREPARE THIS CHAPTER AND I AM FEELING SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO BE PUNCTUAL!**

 **Now go and read this and don't bother me anymore. I am sad because like... the ending is so near DX**

 **No really, I'm not sad, but rather buzzy-blurry-cloudyish-minded.**

 **Thus, please tell me if you find any grammar mistakes and typos because like, I am really expecting some of them popping around here and there.**

* * *

 **Hope:** **Hi! Other than some back, shoulder and neck pains and strains, and this little fever-ish feel raining on me, I am doing fine, thank you very much. I hope that you're doing well too :)**

 ***Places my icy cold hands (I hate this blastingly cold air-con) on my warm cheeks and smiling at the computer screen like a mad man* Aaaaahhh! Thank you so much! I am so happy that you enjoyed the plot twist!**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

 **.**

 **Khansa:** **Well... I can't exactly remember why did I go to that length, but I think I wanted to play with a strong emotion there. You know like, Tris feeling really disgraced and ashamed and Tobias feeling so guilty for not being able to save her. So it works both ways. Or else, Tobias won't feel guilty, but rather thankful for being able to save her in time- and of course, angry at the assaulter.**

 **It's okay. I really won't mind. I think, I guess I can undertand how you feel for I have done that once during my early days on FFnet (I haven't even started writing Acacia yet then). But really, I won't mind if you want to ask the 'annoying' questions away because really, they are not annoying to me :)**

 **Oh exams... Don't even talk about it. I am _just_ starting to study for my A Levels and they are already taking a big toll on my life.**

 **Yeah right? I think that the drama fits in since it also like... highlights the dynamism of Tobias and Beatrice.**

 **^^ The beanie argument is one of my favourite scenes of the story.**

 **Thank you SO much for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it :)**

 **.**

 **Dauntless Lover: Gah! I am feeling so much emotions right now and this fever-ish feeling in me is making my mind kind of blur-ish and like.. I am out of words. You are very welcomed and a big thanks to YOU for spending your time reading and reviewing this little piece of mind. Okay, BIG piece of mind. I really, really appreciate it!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

"And then Kelce throws the ball to Linkenbach and... touchdown! I've never witnessed a better score than that one in my life!"

Tobias huffs a breath through his nose.

 _Why does he always ends up with Bearcats fanatic taxi drivers in Cincinnati?_

"You're not from here are you?"

His eyes snap up to meet the taxi driver's gaze through the rear mirror.

"No." Tobias shakes his head. "I'm from Chicago."

The taxi driver lifts his eyebrows. "My cousin's son's fiance is from Chicago. Her name is Erica... something. She came from Rosemont I think. Do you know her?"

Tobias shakes his head. "Chicago is quite big."

The taxi driver shrugs. "Can't say when I've never been there."

The man twirls a strand of his moustache around his forefinger. "So you're... having a break from your studies or what?"

"I was fired." Tobias states. "I was working as a lecturer for the undergrads but was fired yesterday evening."

"Well you _do_ look too young for the job." He comments. "No offense of course." He adds as an afterthought, eyes on the rear mirror as his gaze shifts from the brunette chap to the lady beside him.

"And the lady?"

Tobias lets his gaze fall on the sleeping figure huddled beside him. Huddled in a tight ball—safe for her left leg which rests on the carpeted floor.

The taxi jerks as it runs over a road bump and she groans, eyebrows furrowing while a hand reaches up to her forehead—the purplish-blue bruise peeking out from under her beanie.

She hisses at the contact, frowning in dissatisfaction as she shifts in her sleep, eyelids still resting atop her tired eyes.

"She... was my student... But she... has an emergency to attend to."

His eyes trail down from her face, down her neck, pausing briefly at her chest which rises and sinks softly as she breathes, then down to her wrapped ankle.

His eyebrows furrow.

"Do you know a place where I can buy a pair of crutches and is located somewhere where we can stop by on the way to the address I gave you?"

The taxi driver frowns. "I'm sorry but I do believe that most shops are closed at this hour."

Tobias sighs and leans towards his right to pull the beanie on her forehead down by an inch, fully covering the bruise.

His fingers linger on her skin.

 _He should call Johanna and ask her to ask Tris's brother to look for her old crutches._

"Is she your relative or..."

"She was just my student. And I am helping her out since she can't travel alone in her state."

The Asian faced taxi driver furrows his eyebrows, a pair of fingers playing with the end of his Mexican moustache which just doesn't fit his face at all.

"So you are accompanying her since you were fired at any rate?"

Tobias shrugs, looking away from both the lady and the man. "Something like that."

CCO

 _"Hey..."_

 _"Hey..."_

"Tris!"

A pair of deep blue eyes stare into hers and she jumps back.

"Wake up." He whispers softly, leaning close to unbuckle her seatbelt. "We're here."

She nods stiffly, groaning when she tries to place her left foot on the ground. Tobias pushes herself back slightly, bringing out a pair of crutches for her—her old ones. "Are these okay for you? Or would you prefer to use a wheelchair instead?"

"No these are fine, thank you." She whispers.

Tobias steps back as she tries to push herself up, struggling slightly, but successful at any rate.

"Bea!"

The two youngsters look up to find Caleb running towards them, pausing in front of Beatrice to give her a light hug. "What happened to your ankle?" He asks, holding her cheeks in his hands to make her look up at him.

"Injured it." She states simply.

"Broke it." Tobias amends.

Caleb's eyes widen. "You broke it? And then you just wrapped it in a bandage?"

Beatrice frowns, glancing from Caleb to Tobias and back. "I don't know what happened really... I woke up to find out that my ankle was already wrapped."

Caleb stares reprimandedly at Tobias who fidgets and squirms at the attention. Shaking his head, Caleb looks away from Tobias and back to his sister. "I told you to stay safe." He tells her, holding her cheeks in his hands.

She smirks. "You told me to come back for the Winter holidays in one piece. It's still Autumn."

Caleb forbids his lips from caving in to that smile which attempts to nudge the corners of his lips and shakes his head instead. "You and Shauna will be the death of me."

Something catches in Tobias's throat when Beatrice throws her head back in laughter though she cringes when her head protests against the movement. "Get married and worry about someone else other than your sisters, Caleb."

Caleb smirks. "I won't be able to stop myself from worrying about you even when I get married."

"Your wife will be jealous."

"Then I suppose I won't ever get married to avoid spiteful feelings, eh?"

Beatrice lets out another ring of laughter- a tentative one this time, as she allows Caleb to assist her as she reaches the steps leading to the front door.

Caleb glances over his shoulder at the man standing a few feet behind him whose eyes are glazing like the moon glowing above them as he stares at his young lady beside him.

"You're coming, Tobias?"

His body jolts in surprise and his eyes snap up to meet Caleb's.

Tobias shakes his head.

"Yeah, I'm coming in. Just give me a moment. I've got to... pay the taxi driver."

Caleb nods and continues to help Beatrice into the house.

Tobias leans his weight onto the boot of the taxi as he still tries to catch his bearings.

 _That was the first time he's heard her laugh ever since she left last Summer..._

A small smile slips past his lips.

 _And it still sounds like how he remembers it to be—if not better._

The eyes of the taxi driver widen like saucepans at the insanely large amount of tip he receives from an over ecstatic Tobias.

CCO

"Ahh, there you are." Caleb greets, walking up to the tall man just as he steps through the doorway.

Tobias's lips turn up into a warm smile though drops instantly when Caleb grabs his shoulders in a harsh grip.

"Explain." Caleb demands—loud and clear.

"Wh-wh-what?"

Caleb cocks an eyebrow. "Her ankle."

Tobias looks down, a hand reaching for the back of his neck. "She... we..."

 _Would she like it if I tell her brother about it?_

 _Won't she prefer to tell her brother about it by herself?_

"I..." Tobias tries to explain with a huff of breath. "I don't know what happened exactly."

Caleb squints his eyes at him.

"I found her unconscious at the bottom of a flight of stairs and her ankle was already broken by then. She... probably broke it when she tripped down the stairs."

Caleb presses his lips together and shakes his head, the corners of his lips reaching downwards. "Look." He says. "I don't care if you, maybe, do not feel nice telling me about it, or just have any other reasons as to why you refuse to tell me the truth, but Tobias, why didn't you bring her to a hospital or a clinic even? They could have properly treated it—they could have properly plastered her injury."

Tobias bites his lips and looks down. "I... thought that I'd take a better care of her—I thought that I can handle it."

Caleb sighs, pulling his hands away from Tobias's shoulders. "I know that you mean well. And from those dark lines under your eyes, I can tell that you probably only caught a few winks of sleep as you were taking care of her last night. But honestly Tobias, you shouldn't have just wrapped her ankle in a bandage. The bandage does not provide enough support for the broken bones."

"Did I..." Tobias gulps. "Did I worsen the injury by not properly treating it? I mean... I really thought that it would have sufficed."

Massaging his temple with a sigh, Caleb looks up at Tobias with a deep frown. "I had a quick look at her ankle just now, but I did not dare to do much since, even though I am a doctor, I am not an orthopaedic and so I am not an expert in treating broken bones. But I _can_ tell that the fracture is not too bad. And as long as she keeps her promise of not applying pressure on that leg, it can't worsen the injury much."

Tobias breathes a sigh of relief.

"But you are bringing her to a hospital after we've settled down and all okay? Right now you look like you might need some nap"

Tobias moves to looks up at Caleb with a chuckle, but instead, his eyes catch the sight of something else.

Something... something standing a few feet behind them.

A photo of a certain blonde girl perched proudly on a mantelpiece. Her lips are curved upwards in a wide smile, so wide that a thin flash of white teeth peeks through her lips. Her blonde hair almost looks golden because of the bright sunlight which shines down on her, and her eyes—her grey-blue eyes are shining—gleaming like gemstones, but brighter...

His heart skips a beat.

 _How can a picture wield such control over his heart?_

"I know how you feel towards her."

Tobias jumps slightly and his eyes snap back at Caleb's to find a smirk plastered on the man's face.

"And I know that you're sincere about it—that you're not just simply playing with her feelings." Caleb continues, staring straight into the eyes of the taller but younger man his sister has somehow fallen for. "And all that I want to say is a thank you for helping her while I wasn't there for her, thank you for caring for her deeply and I know that you'll be a good lover for her and I won't be standing in the way of your relationship. If ever, I'm supporting it.

But there are two things which I want you to promise me that you will remember to do. One, is to care for her, to love her and to always support her. She's been through a lot. Far more than what Shauna and I have gone through. You will need a lot of patience to support her through her bad days and put her back on the right track. And two, she is still my sister no matter what. So don't you dare try to separate her from us. You got me?"

The corners of Tobias's lips jerk up. "Yeah. I'll try my best to not keep her to myself."

"Good." Caleb chuckles. "I am glad that she fell for some bloke who I know I can trust and not some weird, punk-ish, jockey who is some member of some gangster or something."

Rage snakes up Tobias's heart at Caleb's words.

He tilts his head to one side.

"You should have a higher respect over your sister's taste."

"Just figuratively speaking." Caleb replies, waving a hand in the air—brushing the topic off as if it was nothing.

 _As if it was nothing!_

His mouth moves to say something else, but the words are left unuttered as Johanna enters the living room, announcing, "Coffee for the early risers!" with a tray of three black and one grey, steaming hot mugs. Beatrice follows in close behind, her left foot doesn't touch the ground—Tobias notices that.

Johanna places the tray on the coffee table, quirking an eyebrow when she notices that the grey one contains hot chocolate instead of coffee. Beatrice reaches for that one. "Someone doesn't drink coffee?" Johanna asks to which Beatrice shrugs.

"Yeah." She replies, sipping a taste of her hot chocolate, eyes gazing up from the mug to land on a pair of deep blue eyes.

She looks away. "My stomach can't tolerate it."

Tobias swallows a gulp of his coffee, forcing his tongue to bear with the burning hot drink before swallowing another gulp, and another, until his mug runs dry and Caleb and Johanna both look at him with knowing looks.

"Rough night?" Johanna asks to which he shrugs.

" _Do_ tell me what happened between dad and you and Chris."

Johanna heaves a sigh and leans back onto the sofa. "You remember last year when Christina's mood was really out of hand and she had this bad stomach ache which was deduced as gastric by her doctor?"

Tobias frowns, but nods.

"Well, what she had in her turns out to not be gastric but rather what was to be the child of one of those guys you told her to stay away from."

His eyes widen.

"You... she... what?" Beatrice asks, forehead creased deeply as her eyebrows shoot up.

Tobias's eyes flicker to Beatrice's at her exclamation—Caleb notices that they linger for a moment too long.

The erudite doctor smirks.

"Consensually got herself pregnant by some heavily pierced man who our Tobias here have been highly suspicious of." Johanna clarifies, turning to look at Tobias. "That Blue Chevy kid you've been telling her to stay away from."

 _Blue Chevy..._

 _Tobias have been highly suspicious of..._

...

 _Tobias places his fork down on his plate and places his elbows on the kitchen island to lean closer to Tris. "Have you seen any of Christina's friends?"_

 _"Friends?" Tris scratches her forehead, trying to rack her brain for answers. "I think there was this one piercing filled guy with tattoos all over him who drives a blue car the other day."_

 _"How did you meet him?" He asks eyes twinkling._

 _"He... came here the other night."_

 _..._

 _Christina furiously marches to the driver whispering to him harshly with a finger pointed towards him. "I thought I told... Fucking 15 kilometre radius... What if... Sees..."_

 _But the heavily pierced and tattooed man just smirks at her. "Come on babe, you told me he isn't home. I didn't get to greet you at the door nor send you back home during our first date-"_

 _"Hush it Eric!"_

Beatrice snaps her fingers. "Eric." She proclaims. "The name of this guy, he's Eric, right? I told you about him, remember?"

Tobias squints his eyes. "I think..." He mumbles, eyes not quite meeting hers.

Beatrice chews into the insides of her cheeks and looks away.

"But how come we didn't know about this?" Tobias asks, looking up to Johanna and Caleb—who is smirking at him for a reason which he can't quite understand.

He'd challenge Caleb with a question of "Find something amusing?" if he isn't the elder brother of the lady in front of him.

"She hid it well."

Tobias frowns. "But surely the doctor would have detected the... _thing_ living inside her."

Johanna heaves a sigh. "You remember Will? Christina's boyfriend who died in the same car accident which killed the rest of her family?"

Tobias nods his head.

"The doctor who treated Christina was none other than Will's sister and she took pity on Christina's broken state since the doctor knew how much Will meant to her. And so the doctor helped her with the abortion of the baby and hid the news from us."

Tobias scoffs. "I'd feel betrayed by how quick the supposed lover of my dead brother has moved on."

Johanna presses her lips together and rubs her temples. "Maybe you will, Tobias." She tells him. "But she understood. She understood how traumatic the event was for Christina and how hard she has been trying to get past it, to get over it, to stop needing to wake up every night screaming, sweating and trembling."

Beatrice scratches the bridge of her nose.

"What she did was wrong. But things were harsh on her. _We_ didn't support her enough. And Marcus only made it worse when he practically disowned her last night."

"I'd do the same thing if that happened to my child." Tobias mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe. And it might not matter as much if it happened to your child because your child will be living in a whole different situation. Christina lost every single person she cared for in one single night. Then she is suddenly swept away into this new set of family who she had no clue as to who are they really. With a father who obviously treasured his son—don't try to deny that Tobias, more than he treasures her, a brother who was barely there and loves to bicker with her like he has nothing better to do, a mother who may not have been there for her all the time... Don't get me wrong Tobias, what she did was wrong and she deserves to be punished. Marcus was not really over-reacting with his rage. But with a person like Christina, we should have taken a different approach in telling her that what she did was wrong."

Tobias rolls his eyes and pushes himself up from the sofa. "I don't know, I just... don't understand it anymore. What she did was disgusting and I am embarrassed to call her my sister."

"You should be."

Tobias freezes.

Christina stands in front of the pathway leading to the kitchen, hair in a mess and eyes bloodshot.

"You should be. But it's okay though, you don't really have to call me your sister any longer. I will look for a job to support myself and a new home to live in. I'm a legal adult and I won't have to bother your lives any longer—I've caused enough troubles."

"But Christina dear."

"Mom..." Christina whispers to Johanna her fingers held tightly together in a fist. "We've talked about this last night. And honestly, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me. You took me under your care and treated me like your daughter ever since I lost my mother. But I... think it's time for me to learn how to live independently. Maybe the harshness of life will finally make me realise how hard it is for one to survive in this mad world and that I can't get anything from my YOLO attitude all these years. I've experienced pain and depression, but I've never experienced a hard life. My family were rich people, you are quite wealthy, Marcus is a freaking mayor... I should try to learn how is it like to work for my own living. To learn the true meaning of earning a life and deserving to live." A small smile lifts up the corners of her lips and she turns to look at Beatrice. "Something which I've been jealous of when I look at you."

Beatrice looks up from her mug of cocoa, to look at Christina with wide eyes. She glances at Johanna, then Caleb and gulps the mouthful of drink in her mouth down her throat.

"Speaking of which... The reason why mom and I came here in the first place is because I have something to tell you. We were thinking of dropping by your university, but since you're here... can we... you know, talk for a moment... if you don't mind?"

The mug makes a dull thudding noise as it hits the coffee table when Beatrice places her drink down and shakes her head, standing up to approach the taller girl. "Sure, I don't mind I guess."

Christina smiles and leads Beatrice out of the living room and to a small window in the kitchen.

"I never properly apologised for what I did to you last year." Christina starts, pulling a chair for Beatrice to sit on.

Beatrice chews the insides of her cheeks. "No, it's okay... I never held any grudges over it."

"You don't understand." Christina accuses, turning to look at her with a frown. "I will never be able to live my life in peace without properly explaining myself to you. You are forgiving me because you think that I was pregnant and like... involuntarily moody when I treated you badly. And though, yes, that may have enhanced my irrational thoughts by making me extra emotional and all that, but that's it wasn't just that."

Beatrice frowns at her.

"You see, when I first met you, I never really had any sort of allegiance towards you. Call it a neutral feeling between you and I. But... I got jealous. I got jealous by how Tobias seemed to care for you so much when I was never treated that way by him. I saw him bringing you up to the observatory tower back in Chicago, I saw him going to the gardens late at night to look for some flowers which he will leave at your door... It took me a lot of patience to not crush the flowers he left for you."

"I wanted a brother, and I got one, but he never felt like one to me. He's always in his room or on the balcony or with that goofy friend of his. And if I tried to approach him, he'd always tell me off... I mean, for good-freaking-ness' sake, he lets you wear his forbidden beanie."

Beatrice's finger itches to pull the beanie off her head. "It's just a beanie though, isn't it?"

"It's not just _a_ beanie, Tris." Christina rolls her eyes. " _That_ is the beanie which his late mother knitted while she was pregnant with him."

Beatrice's eyes widen.

"She knitted two beanies for him, that one on your head, and a smaller one for when he was younger. And he doesn't let anyone, not even Marcus, touch it. Yet, he practically gave it to you after like what? a week or two after he met you? What kind of logic is that." Christina grumbles, combing her fingers through her black hair. "It looks good on you though. So don't bother me and don't take it off."

Her fingers lace together, gripped tightly on her lap.

"And Marcus, he... he never scolded you for anything you did. In fact, he supported Tobias when Tobias was visiting you at the hospital and all that. It was sort of like... he cared for you too. Which he never did to me." A bird tweeted in front of the window they are leaning on, perching on the 'Chestnut Street' signboard beside their front lawn. "But I was... I held myself back, then. I didn't act on my jealousy yet because I felt like... fuck it, whatever, let them love you, they never cared for me at any rate. But when mom—Johanna started to show little signs that she cared for you, I was... I snapped. Because she's the only person left who loves and cares for me. And I felt as if you were going to steal her from me."

"You know what Christina?" Beatrice interrupts with a sigh. "I understand that feeling. When my dad married my step-mother, I felt like she was stealing him from me. Which might be true considering the malintetion she's been having all the while. But what I mean is that, I understand how you feel. And I myself have made mistakes because of it. And when I say that I forgive you, Christina, it means that I really do. I really have placed all the things which have happened where they rightfully belong—in the past. Life won't go anywhere if we're too busy keeping grudges against everyone."

Christina smiles a little and tilts her head to one side. "You're good for Tobias you know." She states to which Beatrice flinches a little. "You're the perfect match for him. Patient, forgiving..."

Beatrice huffs and looks away, picking up her crutches for her to stand up.

"He loves you still. I don't know if you're too blind to see it, but he screams it from his eyes every single time he looks at you."

Beatrice bites her lower lip, looking down at her toes.

 _"I chose love, Tris. I chose love and I have been choosing it again and again."_

The bird outside of the window chirps loudly, landing on a bush of white and pink-ish bell-shaped flowers.

An Arbutus plant.

 _"And in between of all these madness, my heart broke again and again and yet I am still foolishly choosing love. For all I know is that at the end of the day that is what you do. As long as it is not unlawful, as long as there is nothing to stop you from doing it, you choose to listen to your heart. You choose love."_

"I don't know..." She huffs. "I just... I just don't know."

Beatrice makes her way out of the kitchen with her crutches, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Whatever you choose to do," Christina calls out to her. "Don't regret it later. Not everyone is too stubborn and blind as you are to see that he is a real keeper. Don't cry when he's gone."


	28. Chapter 28: To Love or To Lose?

**A/N: I am incredibly sorry like... really, it was never part of my intention to post this chapter this late. But I had some internet problems and I just can't access to the internet for the past three to four days. I am so, so sorry and I really hope that it won't happen again.**

 **This chapter has some parts where I am quite unsatisfied about. For me, it feels like the emotion is not deep enough- not as deep as it should be. But I really hope that it's okay and all because like... this is an important chapter. It's where Tobias... decides things.**

 **I am feeling so depressed right now because like the ending is just sooooooooo near and it's been such a great time with you guys. These past four months has been one of the greatest time in my life. Like ever. And it feels so sad that this story is about to end. This greatest time of my life is about to end!**

 _Trying so hard not to cry_

 _Had the best time, and now it's the worst time_

 _But we have to say goodbye_

 **Alright... I am being over dramatic now.**

 **I am scolding my sleepy mind for this rambling. Ask my sisters and they'd tell you how random and rambly and blabbery I can get when I am sleepy.**

 **It's three in the morning.**

 **My sister will tell you how I suddenly started rapping about the antagonist of some cartoon TV show when the lights were already out and we were sprawled across our beds- trying to sleep. It was passed midnight.**

 **It's sort of like, I pass the A.M. line and I start talking like mad.**

 **I should just delete this whole series of rambles should I?**

 **I really hope that it's been a joy for you guys to read as much as it was for me to write :)**

 **:)**

 **:)**

* * *

 **Khansa:**

Yes, I do believe that abortion is a pretty cruel thing (though I also believe that if the child is going to be brought up in a bad life at any rate, then it doesn't really matter. And yes, she consensually had an intercourse with Eric, but she never intended to get herself pregnant. Christina was having a bad life with the death of her family and Will, but she didn't want depression to get her down. And she was in this state where she just wanted to forget about her past and have a new family and a new boyfriend. And when you are acting that way, you tend to do reckless things- you just generally follow your impulse. But when she found out that she was pregnant, she freaked out because she wasn't ready to nurse a child at seventeen. She wasn't ready to dedicate her life to a child and to not be able to live a life of her own. She wasn't ready to be disowned by Marcus, to lose her family, like what she is facing now. And Will's sister kind of understood how she felt (I am keeping the rest of this bit of information for some out-takes which I may write ;).), and so she helped her abort the baby.

I am not saying that her condition justifies why she aborted that child, but yeah, that's what happened. So she did consensually had an intercourse with Eric, but she didn't want to get pregnant.

Hmm... That is an interesting point. I think I didn't exactly think of emphasising that fact because I was setting the story on an fast-ish pace and I was trying to highlight the state of mind Beatrice was in. Though if you noticed, you can see that since the Al confrontation, Tobias respects her need of being independent and allows her to do a lot of things- as long as she walks on her crutches. Like he didn't help her climb up from the taxi because he knows that she can do it by herself. True to his words, he doesn't always sees her as a sort of damsel in distress. It's just that, sometimes, she really does needs his help. Like in the previous chapter, Beatrice really couldn't walk with a broken ankle. She can, but it will worsen the injury even more. And so he helped her then.

Also, I didn't write it because I am not so confident in my action writing skills and I was alternating point of views from Beatrice to Tobias and the time is interweaving with each other, so I can't exactly write one scene to lengthy than the other or it will seem drag-ish and that will lose the fast pace I was setting it on.

But do you have any suggestions maybe? Of how I can write more about it without clashing with the above?

Well, for me, I believe that my writing skills in Acacia was pretty bad. I mean, that was the first ever novel I wrote and allowed people to read and so... yeah...

Thank you for your kind words! It touches me how Acacia was able to make you cry and laugh. Really, it is an honour to be able to do that. It makes me feel like I really did write something worthwhile in there.

And no, though you do always have questions in your reviews, I don't exactly choose the reviews I get and see if I'd like to reply to the or not. It's just that, I very much love and appreciate getting feedbacks and reviews because they are the things which help me improvise my writing. I like questions in reviews. They make me think of new possibilities and can produce great tips. Like in this one which you sent where you mentioned that I should have write more about Beatrice defending herself against Al. That made me realise how important that scene was and how I should have highlighted it more. And so maybe, the next time I come across such scenes in my writing, I will try to put more emphasis in them.

Things like that.

And like, come on, reviews are like the gold, the money to fan fiction authors. It's what keeps us motivated, what keeps us writing. And if you guys can sacrifice your time to write a review, the least that I can do to show my gratitude is to reply to you guys back! And I just like a nice chat with you guys anyway :)

Thank you so much for the review! I hope that you will enjoy this chapter!

 **Guest:**

 **Well, about that, I guess you will just have to stay tuned and read to find out? ;)**

 **I am so, so sorry for the very, very late chapter, but I am considering on posting the next chapter a bit earlier than next weekend? We'll see how that goes.**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

"Thank you so much for all this, Johanna." Caleb says as he takes a seat at the dining table.

Johanna laughs as she spoons some pasta into a plate for Caleb. "It's not a problem, Caleb dear. I love cooking and your sister here is always a great help."

"Morning, peoples!" Christina greets as she enters the kitchen. She sports a small smile at Beatrice and sits down beside her. She glances around the kitchen before asking, "Where's Tobias?".

"He needs some rest." Caleb replies turning to face Beatrice instead of Christina. "He took some time off his sleeping schedule to pack his bags and take care of this silly sister of mine who broke her ankle."

"Yeah about that…" Christina starts, turning to face Beatrice. "What happened to your ankle?"

Beatrice chews into the insides of her cheeks. "Fell off a flight of stairs." She replies curtly at Christina, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap.

Caleb raises an eyebrow at Beatrice. "That must've been a bad fall."

"Well it was already sprained when I broke it." She shrugs.

Caleb chuckles a little before he shakes his head. "Tobias said that he managed to get you a medical leave for a week since you should rest."

"He did?"

Caleb frowns. "Don't you know? He said that you also showed signs that you are suffering from a post-concussion syndrome."

Beatrice touches the tips of her beanie on her forehead. "Yeah, well... I wasn't aware that I was allowed to skip my studies though. In fact, he told me that I can't follow him here because I needed to attend my lectu—you know what? He probably just said that to trick me into thinking that I really can't come along and then he'll tell my roommate to lock me up in our room or something."

The corners of his lips lift up. "Is he that intense?"

Beatrice huffs. "Worse."

Caleb and Johanna laugh in unison as Beatrice sulkily finishes her breakfast.

"I need to get to work." Caleb announces, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I won't be coming home for lunch since I'll be using the bus today."

Beatrice furrows her eyebrows. "Why aren't you going by car?"

"You'll need some mode of transportation to get you to the hospital to get that ankle properly treated."

"But I can't drive."

Caleb smirks as he leaves the kitchen, shouting back a reply to his sister.

"Tobias can!"

CCO

Tobias grunts and groans when an insistent ringing noise insistently bothers him out of his sleep.

 _Just five more minutes..._

He throws a hand over to the coffee table beside the sofa he is lying on to grab his phone with the intention of snoozing the alarm.

 ** _Send Tris to the hospital._**

His eyes widen as he reads the title of his phone reminder and he quickly jumps up from the sofa.

 _How can he ever forget that he needs to send her to the hospital?_

 _He shouldn't be thinking about his own sleep right now, he needs to help Tris! She is injured! And it is all his fault!_

Tobias marches around the living room, pacing from the mouth of the staircase to the hallway leading to the kitchen and back and forth.

 _And now where is that stubborn-headed lady? She isn't supposed to be walking around the house. Not even when Christina called for her. And they definitely should have finished talking by now. What does Chris need which is so important—_

A roar of laughter explodes from the hallway leading to the kitchen and Tobias immediately runs towards it.

 _Chris is just a foolish, immature, irresponsible..._

The smell of thyme and rosemary and olives and lemon and cheese and pepper and, and... oh! So many other delicious things reach his nostrils. So many delicious things that he can't count, can't name, can't... can't...

"Tobias can!"

A shoulder runs into his side before it backs away.

"Oh! I am so sorry for that."

Tobias looks down to find Caleb rubbing his left shoulder with a little frown etched on his mouth.

"I can what?" Tobias asks with a frown.

Caleb's eyebrows furrow for a moment before he breaks out laughing. "Oh that? I was just telling Bea that you can drive her to the hospital to get her ankle properly treated."

Tobias rubs the back of his neck. "Oh... Right. I—umm... was thinking... where is the nearest taxi stop from here?"

Caleb jingles a ring of keys in front of Tobias's face. "No need for that." He announces, shoving the keys into Tobias's hand and patting him on the shoulder. "Drive safely and make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid."

The pat on his shoulder feels heavy.

 _He's trusting you to take care of her now, Eaton._

CCO

"Prior." He announces, just as he steps into the kitchen.

Three pairs of eyes turn to look at him.

One of them has their eyebrows furrowed.

"Why are you calling her Prior?" Christina voices out with a frown. "Since when are lovers supposed to be calling each other on a last name basis?"

Beatrice cringes in her seat while Tobias pointedly ignores the comment and reluctantly turns to look at the blonde lady in the eyes.

She looks back at him.

His eyes avert to her forehead, ear, nose... just anywhere but her eyes.

"We're leaving for the hospital."

"Now?"

Tobias rolls his eyes. "Yes. Now."

"But I haven't finished eating yet."

Tobias glares at Beatrice. "Do you want that ankle to heal or not?"

"Yes, but surely I can—"

"Well come _on_ then!"

Johanna shakes her head with a sigh and rises from her chair to pull out a plastic container from a nearby cabinet.

"But surely eating for a few more minutes won't worsen my ankle!"

"Yes it can! The longer you..."

Johanna shovels some pasta into the plastic container at which Christina lets out a small chuckle.

"Well it's all your fault to begin with, Eaton!"

"Oh _do_ tell me."

"You shouldn't have been so stupid and foolish and you should have brought me to a hospital last night!"

"Well you shouldn't hav—Ow!"

Tobias gapes in shock at his step-mother.

"Whatever was that for?!" He demands, rubbing his forearm which stings of Johanna's slap.

"For your mouth to shut up. Now take this." Johanna replies, holding out a container of pasta with two disposable forks rested atop of it.

Tobias crosses his arms.

"I am not hungry."

Johanna rolls her eyes, pulling out Tobias's empty hand and places the food container on it, forcing him to take it.

"Share it with Beatrice." She orders as she shakes her head at him and helps Beatrice out of her chair. "Honestly, you two fight like married couples."

Christina breaks out in laughter. "They call it a dynamic relationship."

Tobias scowls. "Oh just shut up, Chris. I thought that you are leaving us for good?"

" _Tobias_!" Johanna scolds. "Hold your tongue will you?"

Rolling his eyes, Tobias marches away from the kitchen. Muttering under his breath.

Christina pinches her lips together and looks down to her food, pushing the pasta around her plate with her fork.

CCO

Beatrice steps out from the house, crutches in hand and walks steadily down the cemented pavement—until she reaches the small flight of steps.

Tobias jogs up to her and swings her left arm over his shoulder to aid her. Upon reaching the ground, he lets her go and allows her to walk to the car by herself, though stays very close behind. He unlocks Caleb's blue sedan and opens the passenger door for Beatrice, who struggles to balance herself on one foot as she puts away her crutches to climb into the car.

Tobias frowns.

He slips an arm around her shoulders and another around her waist when she huffs a breath and pushes him back as she slips into the car with a little bit of struggle, but successful at any rate. He is about to help her fasten her seatbelt when she pulls the silver buckle out of his hands.

"That isn't necessary. I _can_ help mys—"

Tobias bangs the car door close—ignoring the glare Beatrice sends him for cutting her off mid-speech.

 _He was just trying to help!_

 _Can't she be a little bit politer?_

 _He wasn't even trying to carry her! He was just worried that she might slip and was just supporting her._

 _And she always forgets to fasten her seatbelt. He doesn't want to be responsible for her death!_

Tobias scratches the top of his head, letting out a frustrated growl of breath.

 _She can be so…._

 _Dignified!_

He strides towards the other side of the car, slides into it, drops the container of spaghetti onto the compartment beside his seat, brings the engine to life and slams his foot onto the gas pedal. The car tyres screech as the car speeds out of Chestnut Street at a maddening pace.

"Slow down, idiot." Beatrice snaps through gritted teeth, hands clutching at the armrests of the chair to keep her steady.

"I said slow down!" She barks at him, glaring when he doesn't even turn around to look at her but stares off to the road with a stoic face.

The frantic speed causes the car to jerk harshly when it runs over the road bump—the impact of the jerk causing Beatrice's head to hit harshly onto the chair she is sitting on.

Tobias slams his foot onto the brake pedal at the sound of Beatrice's hiss and groan of pain—but his actions causes the car to stop violently which again, causes the back of her head to hit her chair.

The container of spaghetti slides down and spills onto the carpeted floor.

"Stop jerking the car like that!" She cries, almost tearfully, definitely in pain.

"I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—I didn't—"

"I told you to stop the car but you—" Beatrice lets out another hiss of pain as her head throbs vigorously.

Tobias bites his lips, hands reaching for her head but yet refusing to near her.

They reach the top of her head at any rate.

"What are you..."

"Hush." Tobias breathes, pressing his fingers onto the sides of her head, a few inches above her ear. "Just hush and let me try to help you." He mumbles.

Beatrice swallows her unspoken words back down her throat and knots her fingers together onto her lap. His thumbs press small circles through her scalp—firm enough that she can feel it ebbing away the pain as the rest of his fingers hold her head still so his ministrations won't shake her head into another wave of migraine.

"I'm sorry about this, I... wasn't thinking straight." Tobias confesses with a huff.

Beatrice frowns. "It was obvious that you weren't thinking straight, you never really do."

His hands grow still on her head.

He moves back to his chair and grips the steering wheel tightly—pulling away the sense of euphoric comfort he borrowed to her.

A pang of guilt coils around her heart.

"Look, Tobias, I didn't mean that like how I—"

"Yes you meant it like how you said it." Tobias cuts her off. "I wasn't thinking straight just now, I wasn't thinking straight last night, I wasn't thinking straight last Sunday, I wasn't thinking straight last September, I just... Like you said, I am assumptious, I never think straight, I—"

"Stop trying to make me pity you by throwing accusations like this!"

"I am NOT trying to make you pity me! I am throwing down facts!"

Beatrice purses her lips, fingers shaking in a fist.

"You know what?" She huffs, shifting in her seat to face her side of the window—turning her back against him. "Throw in immature into that list of words."

His jaw clenches.

"Immature and unwanted."

His lips tremble, his sight blurs as his eyes glaze when the word echoes in his head.

 _Unwanted…_

Tobias steps onto the gas pedal and pulls into the highway which leads them to the hospital.

 **Unwanted.**

He grips onto the steering wheel harder, refusing to let his fingers shake and biting his lips to stop them from trembling.

A tear pierces his sight.

He venomously swipes it away.

CCO

Tobias hooks his index finger through the ring of Caleb's keychain and spins the bunch of keys around it.

"Okay."

Tobias looks up to the orthopaedist as she holds up some large black films onto an even larger board which emits some light.

"So according to these x-ray films, it's the Fibula which fractured." The orthopaedist announces, pointing towards a thin-ish bone on the film.

Well thin when compared to the other bone beside it.

"Is that... bad, doctor?" Beatrice asks from the examination table, her legs sprawled across it.

A dark blue shade discolours her left ankle—Tobias cringed and had to hold himself back from running to the lock-up where they are detaining Al and beat him to hell and back when he first saw the bruise after the doctor unwrapped the bandage which covered it from his sight.

He still has the urge to do that now.

The orthopaedist switches off the large lamp-board and turns around to look at Beatrice. "Nah," She replies, shaking her head a no. "I do believe that we can heal it without needing to perform any surgery on that ankle of yours. Though we will need to put that ankle into a plaster cast and you shouldn't try to place any weight on it."

Beatrice furrows her eyebrows.

"Don't try to walk on it, keep your foot raised as much as possible, and I recommend you to use a wheelchair instead of a pair of crutches."

Beatrice's lips turn down into a frown.

The orthopaedist claps her hands together. "Come on, mister." She speaks out, turning around to face Tobias. "You wait outside while I wrap her ankle, yes?"

"But why should—"

"I am fine and capable, Eaton." Beatrice hisses. "Get out. You don't have to chase me around like a dog."

 _Immature and unwanted..._

 _That's what he is isn't he?_

The door slams shut behind him as he throws himself onto a chair with a creek.

 _Immature and unwanted..._

 _Immature and unwanted..._

 _Immature and—_

Tobias fishes out his mobile phone from his pocket and punches in a number which he has memorised by heart.

"Yo—"

"Hey Zeke I..." Tobias speaks, cutting Zeke off from his greetings before he pulls in a deep breath—the visible crack in his voice making talking so much harder than it should be. "I was... I... I want to ask you about... Do you..." His throat tightens after every word he utters until it squeezes his voice box so harshly that all that he can whisper is a small whine. A sob almost passes his lips, but he presses his palm to his mouth to stop it from coming out.

He runs away from the waiting room and out through a pair of doors which leads him to a small, miniature garden. He seeks purchase on a wooden bench.

"Hold it in, mate." Zeke says through the phone. "Just hold in whatever you wanted to say and sincerely tell me what happened."

He can't stop the sobs from escaping his lips.

"I don't think Tris wants to see me anymore."

"What?!" Zeke shouts. "You're acting delusional."

"No I'm not! She said that herself! She... she said that I... She said that I am unwanted."

The line goes silent.

"You know what?" Zeke huffs out. "I don't know what the heck happened between you two, last time I heard, you were looking for a birthday gift idea."

"Well, that went... bad."

"What? What did you give her?"

"Flowers."

"And that went bad how?"

Tobias presses the ball of his palm to his eyes, trying to hold back those stupid, stupid tears from coming out.

"It's... it's complicated."

"You're acting complicated."

"Well it was just..." Tobias whines, biting into his lower lip harshly to stop his lips from trembling. "Well the point is, she doesn't want to see me again. She said that I am assumptious, and, and immature, and unwanted! Zeke, I don't know…."

"And what do you expect me to do really?" Zeke huffs again.

"Well I don't know, you... you _know_ things. And, and you should know what to do…."

"Do you really want to know what I'd tell you to do?"

Tobias holds in his breath.

"Truth be told, right now, I'd tell you to give her some space."

His heartbeat falters.

"Leave her alone for some time."

"W-what?" He breathes.

 _Give her some space?_

 _Leave her?_

 _He can't..._

 _He can't..._

"I c-can't leave her, Zeke, I... I love her. I can't. I can't!"

"But you have to."

Tobias jumps up from the bench, fingers balling into a fist in his hair.

"I can't! Didn't you hear me? I can't! Zeke, I—"

"Can, Tobias. You can do it."

"But—urggh!" He screams, wiping away the stream of tears which runs down his cheeks in vain. "Why, Zeke? Why do I have to leave her? You were the one who told me to not leave and give up on her. You were the one who told me that she loves me. I've left her last year, I am not leaving her again."

" _She_ left you last year."

"You mean to say that she really doesn't want me?" Tobias accuses his voice pitching higher as his throat starts to squeeze again. "You mean to say that ever since last time, she has never ever wanted me and that she left me because I was forcing her into feeling what I feel?! And, you know what? You're right! I am delusional!"

Tobias presses the red button on his phone and flings it aside.

 _Delusional..._

 _He has been delusional._

The phone rings back and Tobias picks it up with a scowl. "What else do you want to say now, Ezekiel?!"

" _I_ want to tell _you_ to not drop the call nor interrupt me while I am talking and actually listen to what I have to say."

Tobias shuffles his hair with a wild scratch.

"Say it then." He demands.

Zeke's sigh of relief is audible. "What I meant to say was that, you need to give her some space to think, some—"

"But—"

"I haven't finished yet." Zeke snaps.

Zeke never snaps.

"You, of all people, should know what she's been through, should understand how hard it is for her to open herself up to a person, how difficult it is for her to trust a person. You should give her some time and the freedom for her to choose what does she want for her life. I am not saying that you are or have been forcing her into anything, I am saying that you should give her some space. Tell her how you feel, tell her that you are leaving, and then let her choose."

"I am not leaving her." Tobias grumbles.

"Yes, you are." Zeke snaps back. "You are leaving her and you are not going to go back to her until she is ready—until she tells you that she is ready. I am not saying that she doesn't love you, but maybe she isn't ready to give in to the feeling."

Tobias presses his thumb and forefinger to his eyes. "And what if she never is? What if she never is ready? What if she never tells me that she is ready?"

"Then you can either mop in your sad and bitter life or learn to let go and love someone else."

The words coil around his heart, wrenching it and pulling it out of its place.

"I **love** her, Zeke." He pleads through a sob. " **I love Tris** and I can't love anyone else!"

Zeke pulls in a shuddering breath.

"I know."

CCO

"Mom! Your phone is ringing!" Christina shouts, looking up from her open suitcase.

Johanna runs into the guest bedroom and picks up the phone.

Tobias's name is flashing on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Johanna?"

Johanna frowns at his trembling voice. "What is it, Tobias?"

"When are you flying back to Chicago?"

Johanna's frown deepens.

"Umm... Hold on a second." She says, pulling her phone away from her ear and turning to look at Christina. "When is our flight?"

Christina arranges a stack of folded clothes into her suitcase. "We'd be taking the bus to the airport this evening after Caleb comes home and the flight would be sometime in the night. Like nine or ten o'clock or something."

"Tonight, Tobias." Johanna informs through the phone.

"Right... Book me a ticket. I am coming home with you."

CCO

Beatrice fidgets with the new cast wrapped around her leg as she watches the cars pass by them in a blur. The houses start to grow familiar and she knows that they are getting closer towards home.

The radio fills in the silence between them.

She prefers the music against Tobias's voice.

The car jerks as it runs over that stupid road bump and Beatrice clutches to her head.

"Hey, you're okay?"

"Yeah." Beatrice whispers, fingers massaging her scalp through the beanie. Beatrice pushes the edges of the beanie upwards to lift it up from her head, but a hand stops her.

"Keep it there." He whispers, massaging her head for a moment before his hand returns to the steering wheel.

"Why are you so insistent on it?" Beatrice huffs, closing her eyes in agony when the headache persists.

"I told you, I don't like seeing you hurt."

Beatrice frowns. "Why?"

Tobias bites into the insides of his lower lip. "It makes me feel guilty... for not being able to protect you."

Beatrice rolls her eyes and turns away to look out of the window. "Well that's stupid."

"Well love makes you do stupid things."

Beatrice bites her lower lip. "So you agree to it then? That love _is_ a weakness."

Tobias huffs a breath, keeping his silence until the car stops in front of a red traffic light. He turns to look at her.

"I read your article... halfway through it at least... but... I understand how you feel like, what makes you so scared of love."

The traffic light turns green and he looks away from her and back to the road.

"But... the thing is... Tris, you spelled out the answer to your question already. If Zeus was so afraid of the power a man can hold when they are whole, surely love makes you stronger."

Beatrice shrugs. "It still makes you weak."

"Yes, maybe it does. But that is how the world works. You fall, only to rise. Take an arrow for example, it can only be shot if you pull it backwards. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it's going to launch you into something great—greater than what you already have. When it seems like love is making you weak, it is only building you stronger—testing your faith and courage and loyalty. Testing if you have what it takes to love another like how you love yourself, if not more. Testing if you are worthy enough for something as strong and powerful as love."

Tobias parks his car on the foyer of Beatrice's house—the right side of the car a little bit too close to a group of bushes.

He breathes out a sigh and turns the key out of the ignition hole which cuts off the radio.

The silence hums heavily around them.

"I'm leaving for Chicago."

"What?" She splutters. "When?"

"In a few more hours—once your brother gets home. I'll be taking the bus to get to the airport with Johanna and Christina this evening."

Beatrice pulls her lower lip in between her teeth. "But why?"

Tobias shrugs. "I don't really have anything to do here. I mean, I can't just loiter around your house all day."

"But you have... classes to teach?"

Tobias sports a tight smile. "I was fired remember?"

"Yeah but... but you can't have possibly packed everything from the quarters and your office. You only brought like... one duffel bag. It couldn't have possibly fit in all of your belongings."

"Tris..." He huffs, shifting in his seat so that he faces her fully. "It's inevitable. Right now, I have nothing left to do here. I should probably get back home and look for a new job."

"But you can always look for a job here."

"Why are you so insistent on me staying here?"

"I..." Beatrice bites harder into her lower lip as she looks down to the fingers on her lap.

Just say it.

"Because I..." She bites into her tongue.

She can't say it.

"I'm coming with you."

Tobias raises an eyebrow. "To Chicago?"

"No, to the bus station. I need to get back to the university. I can't stay here all day either."

The silence which ebbed flows back in like a harsh wave.

"You don't mind me leaving, then?" Tobias asks—almost sounding hopeful.

Beatrice looks down to her lap—tongue tied up in a knot.

Tobias purses his lips as his eyes harden. "Right." He mutters, swinging the car door open to climb out. He walks over to the other side of the vehicle, squeezing himself through the tight space to help Beatrice get into the living room of the house.

"Thank you." She tries to smile at Tobias, but he just nods his head once and leaves her alone.

A tear slides down her cheek and she presses her face into the palms of her hands.

"I _do_ mind you leaving." She whispers, her heart shaking... trembling. "Because I love you Tobias—I still do."

 _Because I am too afraid to let you go again._

 _Because I am too afraid to live alone again._

But I don't know if I am more afraid to lose you...

... or to love you.


	29. Chapter 29: Arbutus

**A/N: Hello people! Thank you so much to all of the support I've received from you guys. Honestly, you are the ones who keep me motivated to keep on going and write this story. In case you're not aware of it, this is the last chapter. BUT THERE IS GOING TO BE AN EPILOGUE! The epilogue is like long-ish and I am thinking if I want to post them as one thing or separate parts. The epilogue is nothing too important, but they wrap up some of the loose ends of the story. Basically, it's the red ribbon which secures the wrapper in place.**

 **This chapter is very, very short. Like, so, so, short. And I really think that I should have just posted it together with the previous chapter. But oh well, what's happened has happened.**

 **I believe that some parts f the chapter sounds kind of dull and static and a little bit emotionless. But I hope that it's okay.**

 **I don't know, I still am not confident about how I end it. It feels like... what if it is a letdown. Like, you know? The ending is not powerful enough.**

* * *

 **Guest: XD I hope that this update is not too late. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **Dauntless Lover: Thank you so much! :)**

 **Khansa: Yeah Tris, very, very harsh.**

 ** **XD Beanies are sacred stuff. You should never offend the beanies.****

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

"You're ridiculous you know?"

Beatrice frowns at her brother, pulling away from his hug. "What do you mean?" She asks, glancing at a large clock on the wall of the bus station to see that she only has two minutes to catch up with her ride to the university.

 _She needs to hurry._

His brother sighs, shaking his head at the lady who looks like a carbon copy of their mother. "You love him so badly and you're letting him go."

"Well he _wants_ to go. I can't stop him."

"Last year Bea, you were desperate to not leave Chicago, but you did anyway. How do you know that he wants to leave now? What if he just feels compelled to do so because he can't stay at our house and has to return to his family? Just like what you felt last year."

Beatrice looks down at her feet.

"Caleb."

Tobias approaches the two Priors, a gloved hand holding a duffel bag over his shoulder while the other one stays in the pocket of his coat.

"Thanks for letting Johanna stay the night and all."

Caleb smiles. "My pleasure. If you ever decide to visit this place again, just give me a call. The house is always open as long as I'm here."

Tobias returns a smile and they share a brief hug.

He turns to face her.

"Good luck with your studies." Tobias wishes with a small nod. "I'm sure you'll do well in Philosophy. You're good in it."

Beatrice throws a brief smile. "Thanks. I mean, you helped me a lot with my writing and all so... yeah. Thanks."

Tobias nods his head slowly doing his best to give a sincere smile, but his lips just can't do it.

"Oh!" Beatrice exclaims pulling out the beanie from her head. "I can't keep this."

"No, it's okay." Tobias protests. "I can always get a new one."

"Not your forbidden beanie, Tobias." She jokes, trying to chuckle even when her heart can't afford to. "There's only one of these in the world."

Tobias smiles a little and takes the beanie from her hands, slipping it onto his head.

 _The beanie smells of apples and a hint of vanilla and cinnamon._

 _The beanie smells of Tris._

"Last call for passengers boarding bus number 5 to Clifton Avenue!"

Tobias lets out a deep breath at the announcement. "That's your bus." He nods. "You should go now if you don't want to miss it."

"Yeah I..." Beatrice bites her lips. "I won't want to miss it." She whispers, voice tight as she grips the wheels of her wheelchair.

The bus driver honks the bus horn twice, alerting that it is about to depart.

 _She should hurry. She really should._

But her hands are frozen and she can't turn the wheels of her wheelchair forward.

Her mind clouded as her lungs squeeze tightly in her chest.

"Go now." Tobias rasps through his voice—thick. "Don't miss that bus."

A tear slips through her eye.

"Tobias—"

A pair of lips presses onto hers.

But they fly away too soon.

Too soon that she didn't get to do a thing, say a thing, and he is already gone.

Still in her sight, but far away...

No longer in her reach.

 _She's made her choice to not love him back and he's made his choice to leave._

A whimper slips pass her lips.

Caleb huffs and places a hand on Beatrice's shoulder. "I've been asking for a second chance with Susan and I never got it." He tells her. "It's unfair that you're not even asking for a second chance with him and yet you got it and now you're just wasting it."

"But I... can't! You just don't understand Caleb!"

"You are right, sis. I don't understand why you're just wasting your chance like this."

Beatrice clamps her hands to her eyes, forcing the tears to stop spilling.

They run down her cheeks anyway.

A strong gush of late Autumn's wind gushes at them and her ticket slips out from her fingers. Caleb rolls his eyes. "Look, just get that ticket and let's not waste your money too can you?"

CCO

A strong gush of late Autumn's wind rushes against him, threatening to blow his beanie off his head.

But he doesn't even feel compelled to pull it back down.

Trudging on, Tobias throws his duffel bag into the luggage section of the bus taking him to the airport.

 _So this is it?_

 _This is not just some trial that they have to face before they can live together?_

 _This is **goodbye**? _

A loud horn blares around the bus station.

Tobias watches in pain as the bus with a large '5' pasted on it drives away.

 _It's over Tobias._

 _It really is over. She isn't going to say those words you want her to._

 _You should learn to move on._

He tries to swallow down the lump in his throat and looks down as he walks towards the door of the bus.

A white piece of paper slips in front of him—he steps on it, moving to climb up the bus.

A small hand holds him back.

"Tobias."

His head snaps back to meet her eyes. His lips tremble to whisper her name.

"Tobias I..."

She shakes her head and grabs his forearm, pulling him down into a tight embrace. The force of his fall pushing her wheelchair back by a few inches.

 _Vanilla..._

 _Vanilla..._

Tobias burrows his nose into the cave of her neck, seeking the smell of vanilla and apples and cinnamon...

Seeking the smell of Tris.

Seeking the smell of **home**.

"I've decided." She whispers, pulling his face away from her shoulder to look into his eyes. She holds his cheeks in her hands and presses her forehead to his.

"I've decided to not leave you hanging. I've decided that... I've decided to choose love. It is what you do at the end of the day at any rate, right?"

His heart leaps, his throat runs dry.

"And… and Tobias, I've... ever since we met last year, I have always and never stopped loving you. I...

 **I love you, Tobias**."

A small laugh escapes his lips and he presses his lips to hers.

 _Delusional._

 _This, right now he's feeling..._

 _He is definitely delusional._

But to hell with the thought.

So what if this is a dream?

So what if this is not real?

For when Tris weaves her fingers through his hair, gripping the ends of it tight, but not harsh...

They feel real...

 **They feel right**.

Tobias smiles into the kiss and moves to pull away, but Tris holds him back—snaking an arm around his back to hold him close, hold him tight. To never let go of him again

Never ever again.

A horn blares loudly around them.

A lost and lonely luggage is left ownerless at the airport.

* * *

 **:)**


	30. Epilogue

Thank you so much to all of my loyal lovely readers and a bigger thank you to those who have been reviewing and helping me out in writing this story of mine. Honestly, the experience I have in writing this story will be one experience which I will always remember and truly treasure because for me, this story is one story which I truly enjoy writing, where I start to understand my flaws and learn to fix them, where I just really have such a great- such a whale of time writing. I truly, wholly enjoy the ride.

Big love to those who have been helping me so much like Hope, Divergent Maniac, Tiaricale and Manasi whose reviews I have always anticipated.

To my lovely beta and alpha and just everything else (including plot inspiration and 1D references and all caps reviews and song suggestions vendor machine), my dear sister, Nalash Polal Falayt.

Thank you so much to It'sHardIKnow, Sitdownandwrite, mrswasey18, BrendanBoman, Khansa and the unnamed Guest who always, always leave a review after the chapter they read.

To my loyal readers, karliejames, Dauntless Lover, IrisAcaciaRose, MinervaArhedes, HotaruBia, em and ALL OF YOU GUYS OUT THERE, YOU are REASON of THIS STORY. Without you guys, this story is nothing.

So a BIG shoutout to every single one of you! TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE! I LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU AND SHOUTOUT!

And of course, I must never forget to thank Microsoft for creating the OneDrive cloud storage. Writing has never been easier :)

* * *

 **A/N: HIIIIIIIIIIII!**

 **This is like... the last author's note I will ever write for this story and this is like... so hard... It's like I am saying goodbye even though I am not even leaving this site. I am just leaving this story. But this is sooooo hard! God!**

 **I have no clue what in the world happened, but I just found out a couple of days back that the reason behind why I couldn't get this epilogue ready by last week is that I have been writing an 11k+ long epilogue! I am typing from a low internet access place and so I have to switch off my spelling and grammar checker because it really slows off everything. I have went through this thing several times and so I really hope that there aren't any spelling or grammar mistakes. But please, notify me if you stumble upon any.**

 **It's been six months since I posted this story... Imagine that.**

 **So.**

 **This epilogue.**

 **This epilogue is and will be the last ever chapter of this story. And as of for now, Arbutus will be the final installment to this series. Which means that I am not continuing it any more. Despite the fact that I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this fan fiction and enjoyed it even more when you guys gave me feedbacks and all those sweet and nice reviews, I don't think I want to continue this fan fiction because I like it right here. I like the ending and for me, the main plots of the story is already wrapped up and all and if I try to continue it, I fear that the story line and all might feel a little bit too repetitive and like... you know? not so nice...**

* * *

Guest: So sorry for the delay. I wanted to make sure that this last piece of the story is in an as close to perfect state as possible before I post it. It _is_ the last piece I'll ever write for this story after all and as Ignazio Vitale has said, "It's the last impression which matters the most... People will never forget the last moments. They're eternal... Last words. :D

 **Tasnima: :D I am glad you think so! Thank you!**

Khansa: I haven't forgotten to write the epilogue! Like I said, I was just trying to make sure that the epilogue is in its as best as possible state before I post it. And of course, the fact that I didn't realise how long this epilogue actually is.

I am very, very glad that you asked me toads in that Marcus mis-accusation bit. I'll leave that at that :P

Congratulations! The first step to being an author is to write. Whether or not you'll be successful, whether or not you are good at it, you will never even know unless you start writing! So congratulations to you for wanting to begin!

I will try to help as much as I can. I can't promise you that I will be able to help you much as I myself am still very much learning, but I will try to do what I can :)

Firstly though, I think you'd like to create an account on this site so that we can communicate better?

XD I am open with the friend idea.

To be honest, English is my second language too. And French and Arabic and Spanish are competing for the third language spot. I am focusing on the French for now. Everyone who speaks English now was once very bad in English. With practice and patience, you'll be good in the language too!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

* * *

 _ **January, 2016….**_

"I don't get it. Why should we go to her flower shop? Aren't there any other flower shops in Chicago? Heck, we have so many flowers in our garden—why must we go and buy them?"

Tris flips through the bunch of letters in her hands, ignoring Tobias's complaints as she looks for any postcards Myra might have posted to her.

A picture of The Niagara Falls slips through the bunch of letters and she picks it up, turning it around with a small smile.

 _ **Dear Beatrice, (I hope that this is the right address. I've never sent a letter before in my life and sending a letter from New York to Chicago sounds daunting.)**_

 _ **How are you? I hope that you're having a great time at your boyfriend's house.**_

Tris bites her lips at the mention of the word, 'boyfriend'.

 _ **Fernando and I are having a good time. We visited the Niagara Falls yesterday (thus the postcard). And my, I have never seen a better sight in my life. It almost feels as if I am reading 'Under The Waterfall' all over again. Though of course, we did not have any romantic picnics and there weren't any bottles under any crease of any rock. It felt as if you are reading 'Under The Waterfall' if you take it for its literal meaning and you do not try to decipher its lines and reveal the romance part of it. Have you read and written your analysis on 'Under The Waterfall'?**_

Tris groans at the mention of their English Lit assignment they are supposed to complete and pass up once the Spring term rolls around.

 _And Spring term starts next week._

 _She pretty much should be getting it done right now._

 _ **We also had a great meal at this restaurant some twenty minutes drive away from the falls called 'Long John Silver's'. You should try the shrimps, I don't know what did they do with it, but they're brilliant. And there was this bell which they hung by the door which you can ring for fun and imagine as if you're on a boat ringing a bell to a nearby boat. I told Fernando to give it a go, but he said that I was being childish. He smiled when I ring it though.**_

A smile forms on Tris's lips.

 _It's good to know that they're doing fine together._

 _Even if Fernando is still insisting that they are just friends and nothing more._

 _ **Literally, this is the best holiday trip I've ever had. My family were too poor to afford a family trip during the holidays and thus, we've only visited places during schooldays. And New York is definitely somewhere where I thought that I can only dream of ever stepping foot on.**_

 _ **I was hoping that we can go to the city since they say that there are some great theatres there, but Fernando and his whole family are not fans of theatres. So I dare not ask them if we can go there since Fernando's brother is always trying to make sure that I am having a good time and trying to make me feel very comfortable with him and the family. And knowing that fact, Fernando's brother might actually bring us over to a theatre—to Fernando's annoyance.**_

 _ **I don't mean to say that Fernando's brother likes me in the wrong sorts of ways (like for goodness's sake, he's married!), but he is definitely a very nice man.**_

 _Was Fernando's brother a very nice man?_

Tris shrugs her shoulders when she can't remember a single moment when Fernando's brother has even smiled at her or tried to make her feel comfortable or any of those sorts.

 _He must have disliked her for some reasons._

 _ **This postcard is running out of space. Someone should invent larger postcards….**_

 _ **Hoping to hear from you soon! Or better yet, see you at the university next week!**_

 _ **Sincerely, Myra**_

Tris smiles at the postcard, flipping it around to look at the picture of the grand waterfall once more.

"In fact, we don't even know what kind of flowers does she have. Or like, if they are even good."

Shaking her head in annoyance when Tobias still hasn't finished rambling about how they really don't have to go to the flower shop, Tris pulls out the letters which are addressed to him. "To-bi-yu Ee-ton" She announces, holding out the envelopes to Tobias who looks at her with his eyebrows furrowed together. "What?" He asks, silenced.

Tris shrugs. "You were the one who was so keen on learning French two months ago. I am just pronouncing your name 'French-ily'."

Tobias rolls his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching up slightly.

Tris grins.

"Now come on, we ought to go now. I promised her that I'll be there before noon."

"But— "

"No more buts, we're going to buy some flowers at Christina's flower shop, then we'll go to Robert Black's book launch, and then we'll be visiting Johanna at the hospital. Now let's go."

Muttering under his breath, Tobias picks up his car keys from the key hook and walks towards the garage with a proud Tris, limping her way with her crutches behind him.

His anger is ebbing away despite his pride.

 _He really can't be too angry when that lady is smiling like the sun. Can he?_

 _Gah! Love makes you so weak!_

CCO

"You're sure that you can go in there by yourself?" Tobias asks with a frown as Tris pulls her crutches up from the car floor. "The ground is pretty slippery with the snow and all."

"I'm sure that I can manage, though there is no harm if you want to help me get down from this tall jeep of yours."

"Wow! Miss Uptight Blondie is asking for help. That's a first."

Tris rolls her eyes, though her lips curve into a smile. "Shut up and help me, Four."

Letting out a ring of laughter, Tobias climbs out of the driver's seat to walk to the other side. Tris holds out her hands for Tobias to pick her down, but he circles his arms around her torso instead.

"Oh no, you are _not_ doing this, Eaton."

Tobias picks her up and places her on his shoulder, her face dangling down his back and he smirks in triumph as Tris throws fruitless punches on his back, ordering him to put her down. He picks up her crutches and marches towards a pair of glass door.

"You're embarrassing me, Tobias! Put me down!"

A mechanical doorbell sound rings around them as they step through the doorway.

"I am warning you, Tobias, if you don't put me down at this instance—"

"Tobias? Tris?"

Tris buries her face in her hands at the sound of Christina's voice.

Tobias's jaw clenches.

She notices how the muscles of his shoulders grow rigid under her.

He squats down to slide her off from his shoulder. "I'll be waiting in the car." He tells her, holding out her crutches before leaving the shop.

Christina bites her lower lip as she watches the man climbing into his car. "He's still angry at me, isn't he?" She asks.

Tris heaves a sigh.

"He can be stubborn sometimes, you know what Tobias is like."

"Yeah…" Christina mumbles. "Anyway," She speaks out, diverting the subject. "I wasn't aware that you are no longer using your wheelchair."

"Yeah!" Tris nods her head, a happy smile shining on her face. "The doctor allowed me to dump that wheelchair for good during my last visit to the hospital just before I flew here from Cincinnati."

"I'm happy for you."

Tris's smile spreads wider. "Thanks." She nods once more, glancing around the shop. "You own a pretty charming flower shop. Not that I've been to one."

Christina beams. "Mom—Johanna did most of the designing and decorating and stuff like that."

Tris nods, walking through the pots of tulips and roses. "Talking about Johanna, have you heard? She's giving birth this evening."

"Yeah she told me. Can you imagine it? She is _finally_ giving birth after like what? Fifteen? Fourteen? Sixteen? Years of marriage!"

Tris laughs. "I know!"

"Mom—I mean Johanna always told me just how much she wants a son. Which probably added up to my jealousy over Tobias, maybe. Honestly, I can never stop myself from calling her 'mom'."

Tris shrugs. "Well there's no harm in that. I mean, even Marcus mentioned that he will never stop thinking of you as his daughter. He may have said that he disowns you the other day, but like he said, he wasn't exactly thinking straight. In fact, he scolded you because he loves you and cares for you and only wants the best for you."

Tris stops walking and turns around to look up at Christina. "You'll always be an Eaton."

Christina smiles at her. "Have I ever mentioned that I have never doubted that you'd make a good wife for Tobias?"

Tris rolls her eyes. "I think you have mentioned that enough times." She grumbles.

Her cheeks flush pink.

CCO

"Right. I think that will do." Tris tells Christina as she watches the black haired lady tie a yellow ribbon around a red crepe paper to secure the bouquet of moss flowers and daylilies which Tris has picked. Christina places the bouquet in a paper bag, making sure that she doesn't ruin the flowers before passing it to Tris who smiles at it. "So how much does it all cost?" She asks, fishing a hand into her pocket.

"It's all free of charge."

"What?"

Christina nods her head with a smile. "Yup."

"But you can't do that," Tris protests. "I mean, we may be friends, but this is business. You don't mix your professional stuff with your personal ones."

"But I already have." Christina shrugs. "The reason why I opened this flower shop in the first place is a very personal one."

Tris frowns. "You mean?" She asks.

"When I watched how Tobias 'spoke' his feelings to you through flowers and how your love develops into what you guys share now, it inspired me. It inspired me to help other people convey their loves. And... a while before Will passed away, we went to this park nearby our school, and there was this part in the park, by a train track, where they had some lily of the valley and, well, we were just walking and then Will plucked one of the flowers, gave it to me and he just pulled me in for a kiss... That was our first kiss."

Tris bites her lips as Christina smiles at the memory.

"I'm sure that he'll be proud of you." She offers sincerely.

Christina smiles at her. "You think so?"

"Yeah, you managed to survive through all the grieve and open this flower shop to help others convey their love. That's… beautiful... and tough."

Christina's smile stretches wider.

 _That's my girl, tough as cotton balls._

She can still hear him declaring that.

"Thanks." She says wiping the whisper of a tear at the corner of her eye.

A loud car horn honks from the road and Tris jumps in her seat. She turns around to glance at the road, finding no other cars there except for Tobias's blue jeep parked in front of the shop.

Tris presses her lips together. "I think I have to go now."

Christina sighs. "Yeah, I guess so too. It was lovely meeting you, Tris."

Tris smiles at her, moving to prop herself up with her crutches.

"You're sure that you can manage that yourself? I can help you carry the flowers to the car for you." Christina asks as Tris tries to balance herself and reach for the paper bag of flowers.

"Yeah, I can do this. In fact, I don't think it's wise to approach Tobias when he's in this foul mood of his."

Christina frowns as she pushes the glass door for her. "He's never going to forgive me, is he?"

Tris sighs watching her boyfriend tapping agitatedly on his steering wheel.

"It'll take some time, but he'll get over it." She replies, making her way towards the car.

The snow crunches as Tris steps on them, pressing them down and leaving footprints on her trail. Her neck urges her to pull her scarf tighter around it as the cold winter air wraps around her. Her arms shiver at the cold temperature, but her hands stay steadily fixed on the hand grips of her crutches.

It doesn't take long before Tobias rushes up to her side, standing at the ready just in case she slips.

"So what flowers did you get?" He asks, once they have both managed to climb into the car.

"Daylilies. With some moss flowers to brighten it up."

Tobias peers into the paper bag from his seat and scrunches his nose in disgust. "Daylilies?"

"Come on, Tobias." Tris huffs. "You don't have to be so rude."

"Well the flowers— "

"Symbolises motherhood. And we are—"

"You are."

" _We_ are going to gift them to your going-to-be-mother mother. If it were up to you, you'd pick the same flowers too."

"But I'd just pick them from our garden! I won't buy them from some flower shop owned by— "

"Your own sister."

"She is _not_ my sister!" Tobias proclaims, throwing his hands in the air. "Stop saying that she is."

Tris presses her lips together with a frown.

 _Here we go again._

 _Four and his stubborn head._

"You're still very, very stubborn are you?" Tris asks, more like an accusation.

Tobias clenches his jaw.

"I don't get it, Tobias. What Christina did have nothing to do with you. She made a mistake, yes, and it is between her and her own self, nothing to do with you. Yes, maybe she didn't listen to you, but it doesn't mean that you should act like a prat. In fact, even Marcus and Johanna has forgiven her. And like, she even tried to redeem herself. You're always being so stubborn. Foolishly stubborn and immatu— "

"That's enough!" Tobias snaps.

He jumps down from the jeep and marches away.

Tris huffs a breath of annoyance.

 _And now just where is he thinking of sulking off to?_

Her eyebrows furrow when Tobias approaches the flower shop she has just left a few minutes ago.

 _What is he…._

Tris slaps the palm of her hand to her forehead when Christina approaches him and pulls him in for a hug.

 _This is not going to end up good._

Tobias's shoulders grow rigid and his hands move as if to push her away.

He circles his arms around Christina's back.

Tris chokes on her own saliva in shock. Her jaw slackens.

 _And so like… just like that? They are already apologising to each other?_

CCO

Tris rolls down her window as Tobias leaves the flower shop and walks up towards the car.

"Happy?" Tobias asks with a pout, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tris squints her eyes. "Did you just do that to make _me_ happy?"

Tobias lets out a laugh. He reaches his hands through the window, a thumb stroking her cheek while another hand buries itself into her hair, under her snow hat.

"Tobias, I'm serious here."

Tobias cocks an eyebrow. "What makes you think so?"

"Well when you asked me if I am happy that you went to reconcile with Christina and like, you only abruptly decided to... to..." Tobias presses his forehead to hers, the hand under her beanie stroking the back of her head... pressing slow circles...

 _Slow, firm circles..._

 _Slow, slow..._

"You're avoiding the question!" Tris accuses, pushing him away from her.

He smirks.

"Maybe I prefer it if you put those pair of lips to better use?"

Tris huffs a breath. "Come _on_!"

"Come on, _what_?" Tobias snaps—his playful side gone. "Of course I meant it when I told Christina that I have forgiven her. I don't say things which I don't mean!"

Tris scoffs.

"So you meant it when you said that you've moved on from me last September?"

"That was different!"

"How so?"

"Well it was… urggh!" Tobias slams his fist on the window pane of the door and marches away from her, perching himself on the bonnet of the car.

Tris scowls.

 _He can be so… immature can he?_

A wave of movement catches her eyes and she looks up.

Christina is making some weird hand motions at her, flinging her arms about like a mad chicken.

"What?" Tris mouths, raising her eyebrows and holding her palms up in emphasise.

Christina makes another series of arm flapping before running up to her desk to pull out something. She comes back to the front of the shop with a paper in hand—the words "GO AND SAY SORRY!" written down on it in enormous scratchy writings.

Tris rolls her eyes.

She swings the car door open and pulls her crutches up from the car floor. Pushing the door as far as it can go, she grips the door handle tight as she tries to climb down the car without needing to apply too much pressure on her healing ankle.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!"

Tris jumps back and looks up in shock to find a Tobias glaring down at her as he tries to push her back in.

"I was just trying to go down and say sorry."

Tobias presses his lips together, massaging his forehead with his thumb as his eyes shuts tight.

"… Tobias?"

He breathes a sigh.

"Look, Tris." He breathes, opening his eyes to look at her. "You didn't have to do that, I wasn't angry at you."

Tris frowns. "But you were sulking."

"No, I wasn't _sulking_." He huffs. "I was just… trying to control my temper, trying to control my anger."

Her frown deepens. "But you said that you weren't angry at me."

"Well I wasn't…. Look." He says, pulling her right hand into his left one. "I wasn't like… you have to come and say sorry kind of angry. I was just… frustrated."

Her eyebrows furrow. "So you were frustrated by me?"

"No—yes…. It's…."

He scratches the back of his head with his right hand, teeth worrying over his lips.

Tris reaches her left hand up to his lips and pulls it free from his abusive teeth. She takes his right hand into her left one like how he did to her.

"It's okay, just say it." Tris whispers to him, giving his right hand a little squeeze.

Tobias heaves a sigh, looking down at his feet. "I am just… frustrated that you can't let go of the past. I mean, I know that it was _wrong_ for me to say that then, but I… didn't mean it, and you know that! And, and I was sorry for it. And I _am_ angry at myself for saying it. But it gets annoying when you always keep on bringing it up! I mean, you even told me to forgive Christina—why can't you forgive me for that?"

Tris chews into the insides of her cheeks.

"Tobias, I _have_ forgiven you for it. I have forgiven you long ago."

"Then why do you still always bring it up? Why can't you just… forget about it?"

Tris breathes a sigh. "Tobias…. There is a big difference between forgiving and forgetting. I have forgiven you, I really had. But it doesn't mean that I will forget what you said and how harsh it sounded. I have forgiven you, yes. But I won't ever forget how painful it was, thinking that you have moved on."

"But I didn't mean it!"

"No, you didn't. But it still hurt me a lot. And I am not going to forget how painful it was. Not because I want to keep on being angry at you, but so that I will remember how painful it is to live without you, to live with the thought that you will never love me back. It keeps me convinced that what I am doing right now—loving you is the right thing."

His head stays bowed down.

"Tobias…." Tris sighs, pulling his hands into her right one. She brings her left hand up to his chin, lifting it up so that he'll look at her.

He still won't.

"Tobias… talk to me, please."

His eyes lift up by an inch, the corners of his lips twitches slightly.

Tobias takes a small step forward, nuzzling the top of her head slightly before he pulls in a deep breath.

"You hair smells good... like apples."

He moves his face downwards, a hand tugging at the blue scarf to get it off as he buries his nose into the caves between her shoulder and her neck.

 _It feels pleasantly warm._

"And over here..." _Deep breath in_... "It smells like vanilla."

He pulls back by an inch, smirks at the widened pair of eyes staring back at him and brings her right hand up to his lips, placing soft, tender kisses on her knuckles and one firm kiss on her wrist—right where he can feel her pulse thumping.

 _Rapidly._

"And right here..."

She shivers—his whispered breaths tickling her skin.

"It smells of sweet, sweet but oh so spicy cinnamon. Just like the lady who smells exquisitely of it—sweet on the outside, but spicy in the inside."

She's heard these lines a million times. Enough times that she should have already been used to it by now.

But the glaring red still creeps onto her cheeks and her lips still spreads out into a shy smile.

"There." Tobias says, proud. "I've talked to you."

Tris can't help herself from smiling wider, teeth flashing, dimples dancing.

"You know, you're annoying when I am trying to be serious." Tris accuses with a playful punch to his chest. "Annoying, but cute."

Tobias cocks an eyebrow. "Cute?"

"Yes." She affirms. "An annoyingly cute dork."

"Have I mentioned that you're an uptightly cute blonde?"

Tris rolls her eyes and grabs his collars, pulling him down to place a peck on his lips.

Tobias smirks into the kiss, pressing his lips harder to hers.

 _Ahh these soft pink lips..._

He buries his hands into her hair to pull her...

 _Her hands slide down his sides..._

...closer...

 _Those strong hands tighten around his waist..._

...deeper...

His self-control losing in five...

...four...

 _...three..._

"Tobias." She whispers, pushing him away from the bliss of heaven. "I hate to say this, but... we really need to go now, the book launch is starting in ten minutes."

"The book launch can wait." He rasps, kissing her shoulder, _her neck_...

" No they can't!" She scolds, pushing him away from her.

Tobias heaves a sigh, scratching the back of his neck. "Right." He huffs.

He still does not makes a point of moving.

Tris raises her eyebrows. "Well?" She asks.

He stares at her for a moment, lips trapped between his teeth.

"Just one more." He pleads, swooping down to place one more kiss on her lips, cheek, nose, forhead—

Tris throws her head back in laughter, shoving him away from her. "That's enough, Tobias. Now get in the car, Robert Black is not going to wait all day just for us. I _want_ to attend his book launch. Don't make me miss it."

Tobias breathes a dramatic sigh before he walks towards the other side of the car.

Across the road, Christina is jumping and clapping her hands, throwing a victorious fist into the air as she shoves a thumbs up towards her new favourite couple.

CCO

"It's amazing how this Robert Black guy has fully converted into a romance writer from a mystery one." Tris comments, pulling her crutches up from the car floor.

Tobias shrugs, holding his hands out. Tris grasps his forearms as Tobias holds her by the waist and picks her up from the jeep.

"Even guys can have a romantic heart." Tobias remarks, placing her on the gravelled road. White frosts glitters against the black tarred road of the, obviously, recently de-iced ground of the library's parking space.

 _The parking is rather full and there are definitely a hoard more bicycles than there usually are on normal days._

"I said that it's amazing how he can be successful in both genres." Tris clarifies. "Not that guys can't have a romantic heart. I'd be blind or am living in denial if I claim that guys are incapable of being romantic."

Tobias furrows his eyebrows.

"Why?" He asks.

"Well obviously! _You_ are a guy, and you are the epitome of romantic—hopeless in fact."

His ankles lock in place, his knees stop responding.

"I am not _romantic_!" Tobias protests, foreheads creased, mouth twisted in a scowl.

Tris huffs a breath, looking up to the sky—searching. As if the answer to why they always fall into these petty arguments are written in the clouds above.

A drop of snow touches her nose.

"Let's just go." She sighs, making her way towards the library door.

For a moment, all that is audible is the quiet screeches of Tris's crutches as she places her weight on them and the thud of her feet as they land on the snowy ground.

Then Tobias's footsteps grow louder and louder until he falls in step with her.

Tobias jumps back when Tris suddenly bursts out laughing.

"What?" He asks with a frown.

"Don't you want to be worried because I am trying to ditch you?"

Tobias's frown ebbs and he too bursts out in laughter.

"That was last year." He brushes off, throwing an arm over her shoulders and placing a deep kiss on the top of her head. "I _know_ that you _won't_ leave me now, dear."

She smiles.

 _Romantic._

CCO

Tobias steps in front of Tris to push the heavy, tinted glass doors of the library open.

Her eyeballs bulge out of their sockets when a long line of people with their backs facing her greets her entrance. A large sign stands at the front of the line with the words 'Book Signing' written on it.

"How can you do this to me?!" Tris exclaims, throwing an accusing look at Tobias who looks back at her with a frown.

"What... am I doing to you?"

"The book reading!" Tris replies. "You made me miss the book reading!"

Tobias rolls his eyes, placing his hand at the small of her back and pushing her towards the line of people.

"You still haven't missed Robert Black. At least you can get your book signed."

"Yes, but the book reading, Tobias. I missed the book reading!"

Tobias presses his thumb and forefinger to his forehead.

 _Why is she so angry?_

 _It's just a book reading!_

"I can always read the book for you." Tobias offers—trying to get her to calm down.

"But Tobias... this is the first book launch I have ever been to."

His frown deepens.

"And?" He asks, eyebrows raised.

" _And_ , I've always wanted to attend a book launch and in my head, I manage to listen to the book reading when I attend a book launch."

His lips curve up—inch by inch, spreading wider and wider, until his teeth start to peek through.

"What?" Tris asks him, voice weak—squirming.

Tobias gives his head a little shake and snakes his arms around her waist, pulling her back flush close to his chest.

"Don't give too much hope on your dreams, dear." He mumbles as he rests his chin on her snow capped head. "Eighty percent of your dreams will forever stay as a dream."

 _His idea of a first kiss was definitely not having his lover running away from him at the touch of his lips._

"I dreamt that we end up together though."

Tobias raises his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah. That night after I gave you my phone number. I dreamt that you used the phone number to ask me out on a date... It was definitely highly inappropriate since you were a professor then—highly illogical too."

Tobias smiles. "It's happening now though."

"Well yes... but not like how I dreamt it to be."

"Better or worse?"

Tris leans up and pecks the bottom tip of his chin. "This is definitely better." She whispers.

Tobias hums and places a kiss on the top of her head.

CCO

Tris lets out a tired sigh, slumping her body into Tobias's hold. "I swear, if I stand up for another minute, the bones of my feet are going to break."

"Well that sounds worrisome—considering the fact that your ankle is just healing."

She doesn't have to look up at his face to tell that he is sporting that cheeky grin of his.

"Should I bring you to the clinic?" Tobias asks, humour evident in his voice.

She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean, Tobias."

His chest rumbles as he lets out a chuckle. "What do you want me to do? Carry you—ow!"

Tobias lets go off Tris to rub his shin and glares at his proud girlfriend.

"You're violent you know?"

Tris smirks, placing the offensive crutch back to the ground.

The person in front of her skips away with a signed copy of Robert Black's latest book and Tris quickly moves towards the table. Robert Black— _well at least it should be Robert Black? She's never really seen a picture of him_ —has his head under the table, fussing over something with a blonde girl beside him.

Tris is sure that she hears the word "shoe" being mentioned a few times.

"Hi." She greets with a welcoming smile.

 _Does it look welcoming?_

The man looks up, a stray lock of his chin length blonde hair falling in front of his face.

"Hey!" He replies, holding out a hand. "I'm Robert Black, the man you're hoping to get a signature from?"

Tris lets out a small laugh as she shakes his hand, looking into his brown eyes.

 _His brown eyes..._

"I've read your book, 'The Secret Love Letter' and I love it to bits." She says, pulling Tobias closer. "My boyfriend here introduced me to your work."

Robert Black smiles at Tobias, outstretching his hand to Tobias this time. "Well I must thank _you_ I guess, Mr.?"

"Eaton." Tobias replies, placing the newly launched book on the table together with his old copy of 'The Secret Love Letter'. "Tobias Eaton." He rephrases.

"A pleasure to meet you." Robert replies with a nod, pulling the cap of his ink pen open. "Now who should I sign this book for?"

"This one," Tobias says, pointing at his favourite book, "is for me. And this new one is for her, Tris Prior." Tobias turns to look at her with raised eyebrows. "Or would you prefer it to be Beatrice Prior?"

The blonde girl beside Robert jumps up from her crouched position, brown eyes wide.

 _Blonde hair, grey-blue eyes..._

 _And that face—she will never forget that face._

"Beatrice Prior?" She asks. "Beatrice Helen Prior?"

"Susan!" Tris screams, letting go off her crutches and running towards her lost friend.

 _Her lost **sister**._

Tobias catches Tris before she takes another step further, perching her up on her cructhes with a scowl.

"Tobias! It's Susan!" She screams, hands shaking in excitement, eyes leaking with tears.

"Yes, I get that point, but your crutches Tris! You're going to worsen that—"

Tris pushes him away, pulling Susan into a tight hug.

"Susan, I looked for you—I swear that I did. After Jeanine was arrested, Caleb and Hannah and I, we... we went to that hell hole to look for you. But you weren't there."

"I left, Helen." Susan replies pulling her face up to look at her. "Robert came back and got me out of there two days after Jeanine was arrested."

"How stupid of me!" Tris exclaims, clapping her hands to her eyes.

Tobias huffs a breath, picking up the cructhes from the ground, trying to fit them under the armpits of his _stupid_ lover.

"Robert Black! You're Robert! How can I not recognise your name?"

Robert shrugs, throwing a light chuckle. "There may be more than one Robert Black in this world."

"This is... this is a dream! Tobias! _This_ is a dream!"

Tobias presses his lips together, pulling her hands into his left one and holding her chin with his other. " _Tris_..."

"Mmhmm?"

" _Calm down_ and _use your crutches_."

A splash of pink hue colours her cheeks. She displays a toothy grin.

"You should be excited, Tobias. They're my old friends from Buffalo Mountains."

Robert chuckles. "You considered me as a 'more than just a friend'." He interjects.

"What?!" Tobias exclaims, the direction of his gaze alternating between gawking at Robert to Tris.

"Hey! That was like... a childhood crush thing." Tris defends, the pink hues spreading from her cheeks to her neck. "In fact, I was like what? Five? Six? I didn't even understand know what in the world is love back then."

"You still said that you like me and, if I remember it right, you also said that I am a very handsome man."

Her pink cheeks turn into red.

The muscles of his jaw tightens.

Tobias picks up the two books from the table and pulls Tris away.

"Let's go to the hospital." He orders. "We're late."

Tris rolls her eyes, lifting Tobias's arm from her shoulder. "You're overreacting."

Tobias crosses his arms. "No I am not!"

"Tobias, it was _just_ a childhood thing. He didn't even liked me back."

"Did you even read 'The Secret Love Letter'?" Tobias asks, shoving the back of his book to her face. "Beata. He named the person he loves Beata. And he wrote in the foreword that this book was based on a real-life experience. Obviously he likes you back though he was such a chicken that he couldn't say that he likes you."

"Beata, is my twin sister. Hannah Beata Prior."

Tobias's mouth drops.

"Oh..."

"Yes, oh." Tris huffs, snatching the two books from his hands and placing them back onto Robert's table, leaving a confused Tobias behind.

"Jealous prat that guy is." Robert jokes, nodding his head towards Tobias's direction.

"Yes he can be, but he's _my_ jealous prat." Tris replies. "You told me when we were younger that you found my sister cute, but I didn't realise that you were crushing on her. That's pretty... young. Isn't it? Kind of creepy."

Robert shrugs. "I cared for her... I cared for her as if she is my sister, yet more. I mean, I cared for you too, but it felt different with her. She... lingers in my heart... and in my mind."

The corners of her lips twitch. "They call it puppy love I guess?"

Robert sighs and nods.

He signs the two books before passing them back to Tris who stares at them—the insides of her cheeks held in between her teeth.

"They're alive, you know?"

"Who?" Robert asks with a frown.

"Caleb and Hannah... they're alive."

Robert smirks. "I read from the paper, 'Colorado's Reknowned Scientist Found Guilty of Slave Trading'. They wrote about how that David Green guy gave himself up to the police and spilled the beans on Jeanine's dirty works including how she burned your house down and framed your mother and siblings' death to get your dad's riches. That's when I visited that old place to get Susan to stay with me."

A small smile nudges her lips. "Oh." She says, surprised. "I wasn't aware that the news made it that big."

Robert throws his head back in laughter. "That news was like... the talk of the town for some weeks."

"How are they?" Susan asks, fingers tangled together on her lap.

"They're doing good I guess." Tris shrugs.

"How's Hannah doing?" Robert interjects. "Is she studying or?"

Tris bites into the insides of her cheeks. "She's fine." She replies. "Working in Minnesota."

"Oh..." Robert nods. "Send my regards to her."

"She's seeing someone." The words tumble out of her mouth. "And I am sure that they're going to get married and have kids one day."

"Oh..." He nods again—slower this time. "I guess it just isn't meant to be."

Tris shrugs. "Caleb always talks about second chances, but I guess, eighty percent of what we dream—what we wish for, will forever stay as a dream."

She picks with the button of her winter jacket, biting her lower lip.

 _"I've been asking for a second chance with Susan and I never got it."_

"Susan, can you come over for dinner at our—Tobias's house tonight?"

Susan furrows her eyebrows. "Me?"

"Yeah." Tris replies with a nod. "Caleb is visiting Chicago tonight. And he's staying at Tobias's. I thought that it'll be a nice surprise for him. You can come too if you want, Robert."

Robert smiles, but shakes his head. "I can tell what your plan is." He replies. "I don't think I am _that_ wanted, eh?"

Tris chuckles.

"You should go." Robert pushes, placing a hand on Susan's shoulder.

Susan bites her lower lip and pulls in a deep breath.

"Yeah... I'll be there."

She smiles for a second—though a faint shade of red colours her cheeks and she looks down with her lower lip trapped between her teeth. Robert chuckles and whispers something to her to which Susan glares back at Robert—her blush spreading down to her neck.

"I can't remember Caleb telling us that he is coming tonight."

Tris jumps at Tobias's voice, placing the newly signed books into his outstretched hand. "Well... that is because he never mentioned that he is coming." Tris shrugs.

Tobias frowns. "Then?" He asks, glancing between the Black siblings and his lover.

"He is going to now." She winks, making her way towards the library entrance and pulling out her handphone.

Tobias furrows his eyebrows together as she presses some icons on her screen before bringing it to her ear.

"Hello? Caleb? Caleb, I need your help, Caleb. I'm still in Chicago, but Caleb I really need your help fast!"

Tris drops the call and smirks at a wide-eyed Tobias.

"Caleb always said that I am not a candor."

CCO

"Yes dad! We're coming! This lift is just... not working!"

Tris pats Tobias's forearm and points her index finger towards the staircase.

"Your ankle, Tris." Tobias whispers, placing his phone away from his mouth.

"The delivery room is just one floor above." Tris reasons out. "I'm sure that I can manage."

Tobias presses his lips together.

He nods.

"We're coming dad... It's okay, just send her to the delivery room. We'll be there in like... a few more minutes."

CCO

"How is she?" Tobias asks Marcus, the bouquet of flowers they got from Christina's flower shop in one hand.

"They need to perform a cesarean section." Marcus replies, pulling his son into a hug.

"She's okay though, right?" Tris asks to which Marcus wipes his palm over his face, sighing out a long breath.

"I really hope so."

"Oh my gosh! What happened? What did I miss?"

Tobias rolls his eyes at the loud entrance of his sister.

"Nothing much, Chris." Tobias replies. "Just that the doctor needs to perform a cesarean section to deliver the baby."

Christina's eyes widen. "Is that bad?"

Tobias rolls his eyes as Tris presses her lips together. "How about we talk about something else and not get all tensed like this?" She suggests, turning around to face Marcus. "Is it going to be a boy or a girl?"

"A girl." Marcus replies, nodding his head slowly. "The doctor said that it'll be a girl."

"Have you picked up a name for her yet?" Tobias asks, picking up Tris's queue.

"Well if it's a girl, Tobias will definitely want you to name her a Tris or something." Christina remarks.

Tobias glares at Christina as Tris sighs.

 _Really, you can't keep that sharp tongue of yours shut when Tobias had **just** forgiven you?_

"If ever, there's a higher chance that dad will want to name her Johanna or something since our father here loves her so much." Tobias replies.

"Actually..." Marcus starts, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have already thought of a name."

All eyes turn to look at Marcus.

"I was thinking of Johanna Evelyn Eaton."

Tobias smiles.

"That's nice." He whispers, holding his father's hand.

"Thanks, son."

The doors to the delivery room swings open and the doctor emerges.

All four of them stand up and rush to him.

"Congratulations." He announces, a rehearsed smile on his face. "Your wife has safely delivered a baby son."

Marcus cries in joy.

Tobias, Tris and Christina blinks.

 _So much for Johanna Evelyn Eaton._

CCO

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Christina whines, tentatively hitting her head onto the wall of Johanna's ward. "What's taking them so long in that delivery room? I thought that the baby has already been delivered—what else are they waiting for?"

Tobias rolls his eyes at Christina as he flicks through the unread messages on his phone. Tris huffs beside him, leaning onto the wall and stretching her right leg—trying to get rid of the strain which is nagging right… there. Tobias sits at the edge of the vacant bed and pats the empty space beside him. "C'mere," he whispers, pulling Tris down by her hand. She leaves her crutches by the wall and plops down beside him. Tobias pulls her right leg up, resting her foot on his lap and presses his thumb onto her calves, massaging it with firm strokes.

Christina peaks an eye open, peeping at the display before her. "I thought that Marcus was already a hopeless romantic when I saw just how love-struck he is with mom. Looking at you though, Tobias…. No offense, but you are the most hopeless of all hopeless romantics." Christina mutters, resting her heavy eyelids on the brim of her eyes again.

Tobias glares at Christina, his lips jerking to bark back a retort when the door swings open and the sound of creaking wheels squeaks into the room.

"Mom!" Christina cheers, pushing herself away from the wall to greet her mother. "Congratulations, Mom! I am so—Oh my gosh!" She squeals, bending down to have a closer look at the new addition to their family. "He is so cute!"

Tobias rolls his eyes at Christina for the fourth time throughout the day as he rises up from the bed with Tris when the nurses approaches them to pull the bed away so that they can place the bed Johanna is lying on in its place.

"Congratulations, Johanna." Tobias wishes, placing the bouquet of flowers on her bed.

Johanna smiles up at him. "These flowers are lovely, thank you, Tobias dear."

"It was Tris's idea actually. And she bought them from Christina's flower shop." He replies with a slight shrug as he turns to look at the little bundle wrapped up in a white blanket.

Blue eyes meets blue and the corners of his lips nudge up a little.

"He has your eyes, dad." He speaks out, smiling at his father.

Marcus's cheeks heat up in pride as he nods his head once. "I've noticed." He replies, beaming.

Her lips curve up at the ends, but her eyes leak with bitter tears.

Tris pushes herself away from the wall, leaving the family behind as she sneaks out of the ward.

They are such a complete family.

A happy, complete, whole and perfect family.

She presses her palms to her eyes.

"I wish my parents are still here."

"Beatrice…."

Tris jumps, her head whirling to the side to find the tall blue eyed man who she used to fear standing beside her with a soft smile.

"Marcus, I…."

"Dad." Marcus utters, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Call me dad."

Tris furrows her eyebrows, opening her mouth to object.

"Please. We may not be able to replace your parents. Parents they are… very much undeniably irreplaceable."

Marcus walks towards Tris, placing a large hand on her shoulder, the soft smile still glowing on his face. "But Beatrice, you've done so many things for me, so many things for Johanna and Christina… so, so many things for Tobias. I don't know what else I should call you if not my own daughter—if not my own family."

"But Marcus…."

"Dad." Marcus pleads, coming up to her to hold her hands in his. "Please, call me dad."

Tris bites her lips, her eyes itching to look away from his earnest eyes. "But… I… you… Tobias…."

"You are going to marry my son one day, right?"

A gulp of saliva runs tangled in her throat, choking her momentarily.

"I—uh…."

"Then you will be calling me dad sooner or later at any rate." He beams, the dimples on his cheeks jumping.

 _Why must he look so innocent and sincere and_ defenseless _when he is asking for her to do something for him?_

 _Why must he look so like Tobias that hurting his feelings feels as if she is hurting Tobias himself!_

"I don't know..."

"You know how I was the one who helped your brother transfer his job from Chicago to Cincinnati last year, right?"

Tris frowns. "Err… yes?"

"You know how I can also easily make his employers fire him from the job, right?"

Her eyebrows shoot up.

"You are blackmailing me?!"

Marcus smirks, his eyes twinkling— _just like Tobias's_.

"Yes." He replies. "I am blackmailing you so that you will call me your father. I am just _that_ desperate."

Tris rolls her eyes, her lips curved up in a smile. "Fine, dad. I'll call you dad." She mutters to which Marcus laughs.

"Can I have a hug from my daughter?"

She can't resist the smile which forces through her lips and she places her crutches aside to hug Marcus.

"Oh." He speaks out, pulling himself away from her. "And can you tell Tobias that I am very sorry for calling him a drunken horny boy all these while? I think that it was very assumptious for me to just judge him like that. Very assumptious and very wrong."

Tris smiles up at him and nods. "I'm sure that he will understand." She assures him. "He _did_ inherit _his_ assumptious behavior from someone."

Marcus laughs and pulls Tris into another warm hug.

CCO

"Salt Tobias! I need more salt!"

"Wait, let me put these down first."

"Darn it." Tris curses as the spaghetti which she is frying start to stick around the stainless steel pan.

 _What's taking him so long?_

She throws a glance over her shoulder, jaw dropping at the sight before her.

"What in the world are you doing with all those scented candles?!"

Tobias jumps, one of the glass scented candle jars almost slipping from his hands. "We're preparing a romantic date-dinner for your brother and his long lost girlfriend, right?" He asks, placing the candles onto the kitchen island and running off to one of the kitchen cupboards to pull out a new jar of salt.

"Well yes, but I hardly believe that we will be needing that much candles." Tris replies, limping towards the cutlery drawer to pull out a teaspoon.

Tobias screws the lid of the salt jar open and passes it to Tris who scoops out a teaspoon of salt with a scowl etched on her face.

"It sets the mood right." Tobias tries to reason out with a shrug.

Tris rolls her eyes.

 _And yet you insist that you are not a romantic._

She stirs the salt into her cooking, throwing in a dash of pepper at the same time. She scoops up a forkful of the fried spaghetti, blows lightly on it and brings the fork to her mouth.

"Mmm... I think that this is good to serve, Tobias!" She calls out, shaking her head as the thudding-clunking sound of glass jars being placed on the marble table in the dining hall rings past the wall.

Tris reaches for her crutches which rests against the kitchen wall beside the stove, but the cool metal rods slip from her fingers just as she touches them.

"That's enough work for you." Tobias tells her, placing the walking aids away.

"But Tobias, I—Ahh!"

Tris screams and grabs for the nearest thing her hands can reach—depending her life on how hard she holds on to them when she is suddenly hoisted into the air, the floor disappearing from her feet.

Tobias chuckles though winces when her fingernails dig into his shoulder blades as he carries her away from the stove, placing her on the kitchen island instead.

"You could've warned me!" She scolds, glaring at the man in front of her with sharp eyes.

"But you're cute when you scream like that." He grins, tapping her nose with his forefinger to which she flinches back, scowling at the offensive finger.

"Can you stop tapping my nose like that?"

Tobias throws his head back in laughter this time, offering a soft kiss on her nose as an apology.

 _Have I told you that you're cute when you're angry?_

The red bruise on his shin burns.

 _Though you can also be very violent at the same time._

 _It's a good thing you've placed away those crutches, Tobias._

"You wait here while I serve the food, okay? You ought to give that ankle some rest."

Tris rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

A doorbell echoes through the house once, twice, thrice and Tris pushes Tobias way from her, sliding down the counter—landing on her right foot. "I'll go and get the door." She declares, limping towards her crutches and making her way to the front door.

She unlatches the door and twists the key—the door slams open, almost hitting her in the face.

"Beatrice!" Comes a worried cry.

"Caleb!" Tris cheers, letting go of the right side of her crutch to hug her brother, but Caleb pulls himself away.

"Beatrice, what happened?" He asks, holding her cheeks in his hands, searching her eyes for answers, but she giggles back.

 _She freaking giggles back._

Caleb huffs- his shoulders slump down.

 _Just what is this little rascal up to this time?_

"Well..." She starts, eyes already twinkling like how they often did when they were living in that old cabin up on the Buffalo Mountains. "Something... _big_ happened." She says, drawing a _big_ imaginary circle with her right arm at the word 'big'.

Caleb sighs. "Whatever this may be, you better not be wasting my time and my money. You don't believe that a ticket from Cincinnati to Chicago will be cheap, do you?"

Tris giggles, again, and pulls him along with her as she limps deeper into the house.

The night has already dawned onto them and the lack of light in the house worries Caleb. But Tris keeps on pulling him with her and he really hopes that her sister won't run into any walls nor trip over misplaced carpets and hurt her ankle any further.

A dim orange hue illuminates the hallway ahead. Caleb furrows his eyebrows.

"Are you guys having some power shortage?"

The giggles he receives as an answer tells him that they are definitely not facing a power shortage.

Seeing how her eyes have been twinkling merrily for the last few months convinced him that Tobias _really is_ the right person for Tris. But right now, he is starting to worry if being too close with the man might make her a little bit too high.

 _Too high on love._

The unmistakably strong smell of scented candles—sweet and... spicy? scented candles invades his nostrils as they step further inside the hall. Tris makes a sharp turn and...

A large table dressed with white cloth, topped with neatly arranged platters of food, lined with four jars of scented candles and one large candlestick at the center and a set of plates, glasses of red liquid and spoons and forks and table knives sits at each far end of the oval-ish marble table.

"What. In the world. Are you up to, Helen Beatrice Prior?"

Tris almost flinches back at Caleb's demand... _his voice sounds too similar to their father's_... and offers him a shy smile.

"Something big?" She tries, sporting a wide grin at the end.

Caleb closes his eyes and rubs his temples, chewing the insides of his cheeks at the same time.

"You are not trying to match me up, are you?" He asks—he hopes.

"Well... I did say that you need to get married and stop worrying about your sisters too much."

Caleb shakes his head. "No. No Tris. I am _not_ doing this. _You_ are not doing this."

"Oh come _on_ , Caleb." Tris pleads, puckering her lower lip. "Tobias and I have prepared this all evening."

Caleb presses his lips together. "Tobias?" He asks.

"Yes. He helped dress the table and he came up with all those scented candles." She replies, adding "They're supposed to set the mood right" as an afterthought.

Caleb scoffs. "I _can_ tell that it was Tobias who chose those scented candles, but I hardly believe that the smell of apples, vanilla and cinnamon, or in other words, the smell of my own sister is supposed to set a romantic mood for me."

Her cheeks flush a bright red and she mutters a curse towards her boyfriend, pulling Caleb to sit on one end of the table to cover her embarrassment.

The doorbell rings again.

Only once this time.

"Ooo! She's here!" Tris squeals, limping her way towards the front door and leaving her defeated brother behind.

She brings up her forefinger to her lips just as she opens the front door, silently telling her blonde friend to be quiet as she pulls her in and locks the door behind them.

Susan follows blindly, butterflies fluttering madly in her chest—invading the space her lungs need to breathe.

His slumped back and head in between fists are the first signs of Caleb her eyes can see.

Tris nudges Susan's frozen body deeper into the dining hall, the shuffling sounds of their struggle catching Caleb's attention.

He blows out a deep sigh, then rises from his seat and turns around to meet the eyes of his arranged date.

His breath catches in his throat, his eyebrows furrow in recognition.

"I... am sorry if I am mistaken but are you..."

"Susan." She replies, her voice barely reaching his ears.

"Susan..." Caleb whispers, a sob breaking his voice this time.

He runs up towards her, reaching out for a hug, but pulling back. "Is it okay if I—"

Susan throws her arms around him, holding him tightly.

Caleb stands motionless for a second before his eyes meets Tris's and she smiles at him, a toothy grin, and he smiles back, circling his arms around Susan's back.

"Thank you." He mouths to Tris who replies with a wider smile before she feels a pull tugging at her sweater.

She steps back and raises her eyebrows at Tobias in question who hands her the right side of her crutch.

"If you keep on dropping your crutches like this, you are going to break them one day." He whispers, helping her out of the dining hall and to the staircase beside it. "We ought to give them some privacy." He continues as he urges her to climb up the stairs. "Can you manage?" He asks, eyeing her struggle balance herself.

Tris nods curtly, chewing the insides of her cheeks as she climbs up one step at a time.

Upon reaching the familiar landing, Tris smiles in triumph and looks around the place she once called home.

"We're going another floor up, Tris." Tobias says, nudging her towards the stairs.

 _There's only one place where they'd be going if they are climbing up to the third floor._

They stop in front of an off-white pine door and Tris bites her lips. He swings the door open, revealing the familiar metal attic-staircase.

"Come on." He urges. "I have a plan for us tonight."

Tris cocks an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

He pinches the front of her shirt, right over her stomach, and tugs her towards him, kissing her softly.

"Yes, well, I realised that we've never been on an actual date before." He whispers, pulling away.

"I think that failed one on my birthday was a date." Tris ponders. "Though it failed, of course."

"Yes, well, aside from that _failed_ one. I would like to experience this 'date' phenomenon and try to understand why is it that Zeke is always so busy going out for dates with all of his previous girlfriends and of course, now your sister." He says, walking backwards towards the metal staircase. "Before you and that _failed_ one, I only went on group dates where Zeke would force me to try and get together with whichever girl he thought is a perfect match for me, and they were usually a disaster. They always end up with Zeke making out with whatever girl he intended to make out with, and me sitting in an awkward silence with the girl Zeke brought for me because I had somehow offended her in some ways."

Tris creases her forehead. "You mean to say that you have never ever went out for a proper date? Like ever? I mean, you were seeing my sister for quite a while—you definitely had the chance to go out on a date with her, right?"

Tobias scoffs. "I didn't and do not like her in that way, remember? Why would I go out for a date with her?"

Tris shrugs. "I don't know, because your father wanted you to?"

Tobias rolls his eyes at this. "I know that Zeke has a thing for Shauna. I won't threaten our relationship just to go out on a date with a person who I don't even like. In fact, I just... never saw the thing about dating. I mean, I'd love to spend every single moment of my life with you. Not just some certain special nights or whatever."

Her cheeks redden a little. "Well aren't you nice." She teases to which Tobias just smirks.

"One of us has to be nice in this relationship of ours."

"Hey!" Tris defenses, pouting at Tobias. "I _can_ be nice if I try."

"Hmm..." He hums, tapping his chin. "Say something nice then."

Tris rolls her eyes, muttering with a slight scowl, "You're very good-looking."

He smiles, teeth a flash in the dark. "I like this 'nice' thing."

Tris punches his upper arm and makes her way towards the metal stairs. Climbing.

"This feels nostalgic," she hears him say to which she frowns.

"Haven't you ever climbed up here throughout the time when I was away?"

He shrugs. "It... felt different... when you were away—when you were not here with me."

She pauses and turns around, looking down at his blue—deep blue eyes.

 _Deep blue and earnest eyes._

Tobias steps up towards her, holding her right cheek in one hand. "I wasn't joking when I said that you stole my heart away right when I met you. That I haven't been able to hold on to my own heart because you ran away with it. That you have been fucking up with my mind ever since we met. That when you were not with me—when you refused to love me, my life was nothing more than a living hell."

His knuckles graze her jawline as they slide up, his fingers reaching out to hook her hair behind her ear.

"When I first saw you at that bus station in Cincinnati, I didn't know what to do. I saw you, the missing piece which belongs right here..." He pulls her right hand up, placing it on the left side of his chest—his heart beating—thumping heavily—passionately under her palm. "And yet I didn't know what to do. I felt so at lost because I couldn't understand if I was happy or angry at seeing you. And then, I thought that if I am starting to turn so weak because of you, **unconsciously** , I started to believe that love makes me weak—just like what you **consciously** did. And yet Zeke kept on telling me throughout the whole time when you were away that you still loved me. And it got me so mad because, if you _do_ love me, then why were you rejecting me—denying your own feelings."

Tobias sighs, biting his lower lip and looking down at his toes—his hands dropping to his sides. "I realised later on that we were both making bad mistakes while we were too afraid of something we both have no clue about. That when I felt like you were just playing with my feelings and messing up with my mind, I should make myself stop loving you. And when you were afraid of how you felt towards me, how you were starting to grow too attached to something—someone who might disappear in a blink of an eye, you tried to make yourself stop loving me."

Tris smiles, throwing her arms around him—the clunking sound of metal hitting metal vibrating around them as her crutches fall down the steps they've climbed.

"Thank you." She whispers, burying her face deeper into his chest. "Thank you so much for not giving up on me and choosing love—even when I kept on pushing you away, you kept on trying. Thank you. Thank you for loving me even when it seemed as if I did not."

His heart swells from where it rests in his chest, he gulps down the lump which is starting to start camp in his throat.

"Thank _you_ for choosing to love me, Tris." He whispers—sobs back. A confused sound of something in between a laughter and a cry escaping his lips as he hugs her back, nuzzling her nose into her blonde hair when his eyes spot the forgotten crutches at the bottom of the stairs.

"You really hate those crutches do you?" He teases, lifting his head away from hers as he feels her pulling away.

The pout-ish scowl returns to her face. "They constrict my ability to move."

"Well then..." Tobias says, lips starting to stretch into an all familiar evil grin.

Her heart jumps.

And thuds...

And thuds...

He hoists her up into the air and slings her onto his shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down!" She scolds, throwing empty punches onto his back—laughing.

"Make me." He dares, running up the creaking staircase towards the plywood door.

Tobias swings the door open and slams it close behind him, but the merry laughter of Tris mingled with Tobias's chuckles still floats around the house.

Two and a half floors below, Caleb smiles as he leans down to share a kiss with Susan.

 _He really **does not** have to worry about **that** sister of his any longer._

CCO

"You really do not have to come along with me all the way here, Tobias."

Tobias shrugs, slamming the boot of Caleb's car closed as he lifts up Tris's luggage.

It took him one hour of pleading to convince Caleb to lend him his car. Caleb no longer trusts Tobias to drive his car after he spilled the fried spaghetti all over the floor several months ago.

"I've flown all the way here from Chicago. It won't make much difference if I travel the short distance between your house to this bus station at any rate." He reasons out, slinging an arm across her shoulders. "In fact, a second spent with you is six years spent in heaven."

Tris throws her head back in laughter, hitting Tobias's forearm with a soft punch. "If you are so eager to spend every second of your life with me then, why don't you try to reapply for that teaching position at the university. I am leaving for that place in a few minutes and we'd be miles and miles away from each other."

Tobias lets out a guttural grunt, pulling Tris even closer to him. "Don't even remind me, Tris. You know how I cannot apply for that job because I just don't qualify for it."

"But your students loved you. My classmates, they all complained when you left. Saying that you were such a great teacher."

Tobias shakes his head, a shy grin lifting his lips. "I don't know how did you and all of your classmates find me as a great teacher, but rules are rules, Tris. I can't break them. If I don't qualify, then I don't qualify."

Tris sighs dramatically, dropping her shoulders down and hunching her back.

"You're going to miss me as much as I am going to miss you too, eh?"

She lifts her head up to look at him. "You know? That's not even a question."

Tobias smiles, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. "We can call each other frequently."

"Yeah…." She sighs, leaning her forehead to the bottom of his chest. "It won't be the same though."

Tobias hums in agreement, circling his arms around her and resting his cheek on the top of her head.

"It's funny how I purposely enrolled myself to Cincinnati University so that I can avoid you and yet, I had to see you three times a week. And now when I no longer am avoiding you, we have to live like... four hundred and six kilometres away from each other."

"You counted?"

Tris blushes, shrugging her shoulders a little. "I just googled 'distance between Chicago and Cincinnati'."

Tobias shakes his head with a chuckle nuzzling her blonde hair and pulling in a deep breath of the apple scent which he will have to try to live without.

"Well dear, be careful with what you wish for."

Tris huffs. "Yeah…."

The bus driver honks the bus horn once and Tris huffs again.

"That is my call. And I do not want to miss my bus to the university this time."

Tobias pouts his lips, hooking a finger under her chin.

"You're choosing your education over me?"

"Yes." She replies, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tobias puckers his lips even lower to which Tris rolls her eyes.

"I'll call you every day." She says, trying to cheer him up.

"Hour." He demands.

"That is sooo frequent."

"Well then, meal time."

"Night."

"Morning and night."

"Fine." She huffs, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

She moves to pull away, but Tobias holds her back, shifting his head so her lips run into his.

The bus horn honks twice.

" _Tobias_ …." She pleads, pulling herself away from him.

"But Tris, you'll be away for so long."

"I don't have the money to fly to Chicago, but I promised Caleb that I will go home during the Spring break. You can always come and visit me."

"Last call for passengers boarding bus number five to Clifton Avenue!"

"Bye, Tobias, bye." She bids, shuffling her way to the bus.

"Tris!" He calls back to which she turns around to look at him with a tired sigh.

"What?" She asks.

"I love you!"

Tris drops her shoulders, mentally slamming her face on the open door of the bus as she quickly climbs up.

"Tris!"

She doesn't look back this time as the bus conductor moves to close the bus door and she struggles to balance herself on the steps of the bus with her crutches.

The bus horn blares around him, driving out of the station with a bursting noise—leaving a hot trail of exhaust smoke behind.

Tobias sighs, looking down at his feet.

 _Now Tris is gone and he won't be able to see her, won't be able to hold her, won't be able to kiss her—to smell her—to laugh with her—to talk with her—to tease her until Spring break._

 _And Spring break is **so long**... It's like... in two months, one week and four days..._

His phone beeps in his coat pocket and he digs into it to pull the black tablet out.

 _ **I love you too, Tobias :)**_

He smiles.

At least now he knows that even if she will be living four hundred and six kilometres away from him, she will always, always love him.

 **THE END**


End file.
